EU sanctions on Belarus shouldn't affect Lithuanian citizens – Nauseda

VILNIUS – The application of EU sanctions against the Belarusian regime should not adversely affect Lithuanian citizens or businesses, President Gitanas Nauseda said on Monday.

Nauseda said this during his meeting with Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis, according to the president's office. 

The president called on the government to find solutions to help the employees of Belorus, a Belarusian state-owned spa located in the southern Lithuanian resort of Druskininkai, who lost their income due to the EU's sanctions, it said in a press release. 

Belorus says Swedbank froze its accounts on December 18 because the spa is owned by the EU-sanctioned Main Economic Office (GHU) at the Belarusian president's administration.

Belorus' employees, who number almost 400, have not received their salaries because of the freeze. Most of them are Lithuanian citizens. 

The central Bank of Lithuania said last Thursday that since the government had decided to make an exception to the application of EU sanctions, the spa's employees should get their salaries in the near future.

The government is also currently working on a plan to help the spa's employees in the long term.