Lithuania maintains ties with Israel, not its PM wanted by the Hague court - Skaisgiryte

VILNIUS - Lithuania's relations with Israel have always been encouraged, presidential advisor Asta Skaisgiryte says as she welcomes Defense Minister Dovile Sakaliene's efforts to strengthen cooperation with Israel's defense industry.

The presidential advisor also urges to distinguish between relations with Israel and its prime minister, who is the subject of an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court.

"The arrest warrant is issued specifically for the prime minister, and the prime minister must be held accountable for it. And the relationship with the country is the relationship between Lithuania and Israel," the Lithuanian president's senior foreign policy advisor told the Ziniu Radijas news radio on Tuesday.

In November last year, The Hague court issued an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for alleged war crimes in the Gaza Strip.

Skaisgiryte says that Lithuania consciously maintains the closest possible relations with Israel.

"Not to mention the fact that a part of the Israeli population is of Lithuanian origin, a certain number of Lithuanian citizens live in Israel, culturally Litvaks play a very important role in Israel, and there are a lot of people from Lithuania within the governmental structures," the advisor said.

Netanyahu, who paid a visit to Lithuania in 2018, also has Litvak roots as his grandfather was born in Krevo, now Belarus.

Lithuanian Defense Minister Dovile Sakaliene visited Israel at the beginning of last week, and was the first visit of a Lithuanian defense minister to the country in 14 years. She said that "small countries with aggressive neighbors, such as Israel and Lithuania, are united by a common military spirit - to defend their country and their people". The minister also said she had discussed the potential for Israeli missile production in Lithuania during bilateral meetings in Israel.

Skaisgiryte says that military cooperation with Israel is a welcome thing: "We believe that Sakaliene's visit will bring very practical results".