The Ministry of Overseas Affairs proposes to increase the restrictions for Russians and Belarusians, and for the latter, the process is tightened

In instances the place residents of Belarus would arrive with a Schengen visa, the danger could be moreover assessed because of the risk posed by their arrival to public order, inner safety, public well being or worldwide relations.

The border guards would additionally resolve on the additional screening of the Belarusian citizen on the second line of management on the checkpoints, and this particular person extra thorough screening of the risk is already being utilized to Russian residents. Issuance of visas to each Russians and Belarusians is at the moment restricted.

Sure exceptions apply – when members of the family of residents of Lithuania or different European Union international locations, crew members of worldwide cargo and passenger transport crews, arriving on humanitarian grounds and members of their households arrive.

Final yr, the Seimas adopted a regulation on restrictive measures for residents of Russia and Belarus, however fewer restrictions had been launched for the latter. The restrictions are at the moment in place till Could 2.

Russians and Belarusians are restricted of their capacity to acquire Lithuanian visas and digital resident standing, however Russian residents are moreover hampered of their capacity to return to Lithuania and buy actual property, and their purposes for a residence allow in Lithuania are additionally quickly not accepted.

The Ministry of Overseas Affairs proposes to increase the validity interval of the restrictive measures till Could 2, 2025.

“The warfare began by Russia in opposition to Ukraine on February 24, 2022 continues to be ongoing, the explanations for which the Regulation was adopted haven’t disappeared. Russia’s actions have a major adverse impression not solely on the safety of the European Union and NATO members, but in addition on the safety of Europe as an entire,” the ministry argues.

The accompanying letter additionally states that bearing in mind the knowledge of the Lithuanian particular providers concerning the intensified actions of the Belarusian particular providers utilizing its residents in Lithuania as a canopy for his or her actions, it’s proposed to ascertain sure restrictive measures for the residents of Belarus.

The opinions of Lithuanian politicians differ on the difficulty of equating Belarusians with Russians on the difficulty of sanctions. President Gitanas Nausėda takes the place that Belarusian residents must be topic to the identical sanctions as Russians, however the Seimas rejected such a veto of his for freer circumstances for Belarusians.

A number of ruling conservatives have registered amendments with proposals to tighten the restrictions on Belarusian residents, making the sanctions much like these utilized to Russians, and leaving an exception just for Belarusians coming to do extremely certified work. Liberal factions are largely in opposition to the tightening.