News

Antanas Kalanta speaking on the 40 year commemoration day for the death of his brother Romas

A special ceremony took place in the Lithuanian parliament on Tuesday to mark 40 years since 19-year-old dissident Romas Kalanta publicly set fire to himself in protest against Soviet rule.

On May 14, 1972, Kalanta burned himself in the garden of the Music Theater in Vilnius, shouting “Freedom to Lithuania!” He wrote in his notebook, “I blame my death on the regime alone.”
KGB agents buried Kalanta on May 18, two hours before scheduled, to avoid crowds. Then, 3,000, mostly young supporters of Kalanta who gathered near his house began moving toward the central street of the city. A subsequent two-day protest was eventually put down by Soviet police, soldiers, and militia who arrested 402 people. Of these, 33 who faced administrative punishment, and six were punished as ‘hooligans’ and ‘anti-social elements’.

In 1990, Kalanta’s tomb became legally recognized as an historical monument. He has become the subject of several books and a documentary called Children of the Fountain.

In 2000, Kalanta was posthumously awarded the Order of the Cross of Vytis. In 2002, a monument was unveiled at the site of the self-immolation. In 2005, he was given the status of a freedom fighter.

Yevhenia Tymoshenko, daughter of Yulia Tymoshenko, addresses supporters of opposition parties in front of a screen displaying a picture of her jailed mother at a May 12 rally in Kyiv.

European Union foreign ministers have been meeting in Brussels to mull a bloc-wide boycott of European soccer championship games scheduled to be held next month in Ukraine.

The EU has been critical of Ukraine over the alleged ill-treatment of jailed opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko, who is serving a seven-year sentence for abuse of office in connection with a gas deal with Russia when she was prime minister.

EU foreign-affairs chief Catherine Ashton said the EU had been "very consistent in sending messages to Ukraine about the importance of justice being done."

Several European leaders have already vowed to boycott Ukraine during Euro 2012, which Ukraine is hosting jointly with Poland, after Tymoshenko said she was beaten by prison officials last month and launched a hunger strike.

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Lithuania will probably miss a deadline to narrow its budget deficit, threatening the Baltic nation’s access to the European Union development grants that have driven economic growth, the bloc’s executive arm said.
The fiscal gap may shrink 2.3 percentage points in 2012 to 3.2 percent of gross domestic product, exceeding the 3 percent limit set by the EU for a fifth year, the European Commission said today in an e-mailed statement from Brussels. The shortfall may drop to 3 percent in 2013, it added.

The grants helped Lithuania’s economy expand 5.9 percent in 2011, the second-fastest pace in the 27-member EU behind Estonia. Growth will slow to 2.4 percent this year, the commission said, cutting a previous 3.4 percent forecast.

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Former Prime Minister of Ukraine,
Yulia Tymoshenko

President of Lithuania Dalia Grybauskaite intends to visit in Kharkiv former Prime Minister of Ukraine, Yulia Tymoshenko, the leader of the Batkivschyna Party, ahead of the summit of presidents of the Central Europe to be held in Yalta (Crimea) on May 11 and May 12.

Ukrainian News learned this from a statement by the press service of the President of Lithuania.

"On the way to the summit of Central Europe in Yalta President of Lithuania Dalia Grybauskaite will arrive in Kharkiv to meet with a convicted former Prime Minister of Ukraine Yulia Tymoshenko," reads the statement.

According to the statement, the President of Lithuania discussed the question of meeting with Yulia Tymoshenko during a phone conversation with President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych.

According to the statement, Dalia Grybauskaite said the human rights is the major European value and as far as Ukraine has taken the European path, it has to observe the rights, including the right to adequate medical treatment of all citizens, including Yulia Tymoshenko.

The President of Lithuania wished President Viktor Yanukovych to retain the European perspective for Ukraine as the perspective is important and useful to both Ukraine and the European Union.

In case of Ukraine's isolation the European perspective will be delayed, she said.

As Ukrainian News earlier reported, President of Lithuania Dalia Grybauskaite expressed the wish to take part in the summit at a meeting with Prime Minister of Ukraine Mykola Azarov in Vilnius in April.

The summit, originally set to be hosted by President Viktor Yanukovych in the Crimean resort of Yalta on Friday and Saturday, was to be a showpiece event one month before Ukraine co-hosts the Euro 2012 football.

Ukraine on Tuesday shelved a summit of Central European leaders it was to host this week after most participants pulled out in protest over the treatment of jailed opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko.

The summit, originally set to be hosted by President Viktor Yanukovych in the Crimean resort of Yalta on Friday and Saturday, was to be a showpiece event one month before Ukraine co-hosts the Euro 2012 football.

"In connection with the fact that a number of European leaders are unable to take part in the Yalta summit for different reasons, Ukraine has decided to postpone it to a later date," the foreign ministry said in a statement.
"It will be held at a later date to be decided through diplomatic channels," it added.

At least 10 EU leaders had officially announced they would not be attending the summit, leaving Yanukovych facing the prospect of hosting an embarrassingly lonely meeting with a handful of fellow heads of state.
EU heavyweight Germany was the first country to announce a boycott, although Ukraine's Euro co-host Poland had steadfastly insisted that it would be attending.

The EU Commission has said all EU commissioners will also boycott matches hosted by Ukraine in the Euro itself and Germany has not ruled out such a move for its ministers, in what would be a huge blow to Ukraine.
Tymoshenko was jailed for seven years in October on charges of abuse of power while in office, after a trial that was bitterly criticised by the West as appearing politically motivated.
The controversy has intensified in recent weeks as the countdown begins to the championships, with Tymoshenko going on hunger strike and claiming to have been beaten by guards at her prison in Kharkiv.

Summer is here!
30C(86F) in Vilnius!

More and more Belarusians
come to visit Lithuania by car

The Lithuanian Border Agency blamed a sharp increase in travelers for the long queues at the Belarusian-Lithuanian border checkpoints, BelTA has learnt.

Last weekend the Belarus-Lithuania border saw long queues of motors cars and trucks at Kamenny Log-Medininkai and Kotlovka-Lavoriskes, with travelers waiting for five hours at the neutral border-crossing territory after passing through the customs and border control at the Belarusian side.

According to head of the PR department of the Lithuanian Border Agency Giedrius Misutic, queues were formed at all main checkpoints of the Belarusian-Lithuanian border due to a skyrocketed number of travelers to Lithuania. “The situation at the weekend was unstable. There were long queues at the entry to Lithuania, and the reason for this is a huge number of travelers. For example, on Saturday the border checkpoint Benyakoni-Salcininkai accommodated nearly 300 trucks at a time when its rated capacity is only 200. The checkpoint is designed to handle 900 motor cars a day. On 28 April it accommodated 1000 either side. The same situation was at the Lavoriskes-Kotlovka,” the Lithuanian official said.

In his words, besides the main reason for an increased flow of motor cars at the weekend, there were also other reasons. Poland has recently lowered the number of heavy haulers (over 12 tonnes) able to cross its border. Apart from that this country reduced the amount of fuel allowed for being carried across the border in fuel tanks. Therefore many large goods vehicles have been forced to go to Poland via the Belarusian-Lithuanian border.

The Lithuanian side acknowledges that there has been a temporary failure in the operation of check systems for third-country visas, which also contributed to lengthy delays at the border.

Napoleon’s soldiers at the
Vilnius’ Old Town Hall, 1812.

History buffs from the Netherlands and other European countries have gathered in Lithuania to retrace Napoleon’s disastrous retreat from Russia 200 years ago.

The enthusiasts, decked in period costumes and strolling alongside Napoleon-era carriages, attracted large crowds of onlookers Friday in the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius.

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During the first three months of this year the number of passengers at Vilnius International Airport (VIA) on the average grew by 64.3 percent. This March the VIA serviced 142 thousand passengers – 17.5 percent more than in February and as much as 56.5 percent more than in March 2011.

2277 flights were performed last month, which makes up for 8.5 percent increase compared to the same period last year. London, Frankfurt, Riga and Copenhagen were amongst the most popular destinations.

“The results of the first quarter set a good start for the aviation summer season which commenced 25 March. So far we can see that Vilnius International Airport growth plans are being successfully implemented. During the summer season as much as 5 new airlines will be operating on 11 new routes,” – Minister of Transport and Communications Eligijus Masiulis commented on the VIA performance.

Good performance is the result of successful operation of traditional airlines and growing demand in low-cost carriers’ services. One of the companies which serviced the largest number of passengers in March is Lufthansa. The airline celebrated its 20th anniversary at VIA and by offering two daily flights to Frankfurt serviced almost 13 thousand passengers per month. Scandinavian Airlines also demonstrated excellent results for March with 10.5 thousand passengers and helped to keep Copenhagen amongst the top destinations of Vilnius International Airport. Excellent results were demonstrated by the airline airBaltic which offered flights to Riga and serviced 12.5 thousand passengers.

Direct connection with Milan and London introduced last year proved to be highly successful – these destinations were chosen by 8 thousand and 16.5 thousand passengers, respectively. The popularity of these destinations contributed to the successful performance of low-cost carriers – in March WizzAir serviced 25.5 thousand passengers and Ryanair – almost 30 thousand passengers.

During the summer season Vilnius International Airport will offer flights to 31 cities and 36 airports. 40 direct regular flights shall be operated from Vilnius. 21 airlines shall be offering regular flights during the summer season.

Our VilNews Board Member, Vladas Lasas, awarded the Oslo Business for Peace Prize

The Business for Peace Foundation and the International Chamber of  Commerce (ICC) have announced the seven recipients of the 2012 Oslo Business for Peace Awards, the highest form of recognition that can be bestowed upon a person in business.

Honourees:
Ibrahim Abouleish (Egypt), Anil Agarwal (India), Eduardo Eurnekian (Argentina), Vladas Lasas (Lithuania), David W. MacLennan (USA), Reginald A. Mengi (Tanzania) and Latifur Rahman (Bangladesh) will receive their Awards during a special ceremony on 7 May, taking place as part of the Oslo Business for Peace Summit in Oslo City Hall, Norway. 

http://businessforpeace.no/2012-honourees/

Recipients are selected by The Award Giving Committee, comprising Muhammad Yunus (winner of the Nobel Peace Prize for 2006), and A Michael Spence (winner of the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in  Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel for 2001). 

Usually awards are assigned to one person - but it's always recognition of the great people and great teams around them.

The Swiss government has decided to re-impose quotas on immigrants from Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Poland, Hungary and Czech Republic, officials said Wednesday.

The Swiss Cabinet announced that residents from these countries will be subject to quotas starting in May when they apply for residency permits needed to work more a year in Switzerland.

The decision reflects a longstanding uneasiness about immigration and rising concerns about integrating workers and employers' compliance with wage and labor requirements, along with a desire to hold unemployment to 3 percent even during a time of economic turmoil.

"In weighing its interests, the Federal Council took into account the fact that the free movement of persons provides a good number of advantages to the Swiss economy," the government said.

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This weekend, top Lithuanian diplomats posted in the U.S., Canada and Mexico meet in Oak Brook — because the Chicago area has the most Lithuanian Americans in the U.S.

Discussing the upcoming NATO summit in Chicago is just one of several purposes for the gathering, which will include Lithuanian consul generals and honorary consul generals in North America, Lithuania’s ambassador to the U.S., Zygimantas Pavilionis, told me when we chatted on Friday.

Lithuania is ramping up for the May NATO summit in Chicago. Lithuania joined NATO in 2004. It seceded from the Soviet Union in 1991. While much of the attention of the Chicago meetings at McCormick Place will be on the Afghanistan conflict, Lithuania wants to make sure NATO fighter jets continue to patrol the airspace of the Baltic Nations: Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

On Saturday, the Lithuanian diplomats also will mark the 50th anniversary of the Lemont-based Lithuanian Foundation, which helps keep alive Lithuanian culture in the U.S.

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Lithuania is in talks with Norway’s Statoil ASA (STL) over possible liquefied natural gas supplies for the country’s gas terminal on the Baltic sea, the Lithuanian energy ministry said.

Gas tankers from Statoil’s Snohvit (Snow White) export terminal would reach Lithuania’s Klaipedos Nafta (KNF1L) AB LNG terminal within five days, which is an attractive alternative because of lower transportation costs, the ministry in Vilnius said in an e- mailed statement today.

Klaipedos Nafta, which is 70.63 percent owned by the state, plans to begin operations at a floating LNG terminal at the end of 2014. Klaipedos is also in talks with other potential gas suppliers such as the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan, known as Socar, Spain’s Gas Natural Fenosa and Cheniere Energy Inc. (LNG) of the U.S.