Lithuanians right to be concerned about rising migration - president

VILNIUS - Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda says people are rightly worried about growing migration flows and the threat they pose to national security.

"Migration is clearly gaining momentum, and people have every reason to be concerned about the risks it brings to national security," the president told reporters in Akmene on Tuesday.

Nauseda said the growing number of foreigners living in Lithuania also poses a challenge to the country's national identity.

"As a nation, we are facing additional challenges because many of those who come here, for one reason or another, do not start learning Lithuanian," the president said.

"We have to assess very carefully how much migration we can afford and how much makes sense to allow. We must cherish and safeguard our national security and identity," he added.

BNS has reported that in late September, the parliament began debating a proposal from the opposition conservatives to tighten migration policy by strengthening language requirements for foreigners and introducing new restrictions.

Among the proposed changes is a requirement for foreign nationals who have lived in the country for five years and want to renew their temporary residence permits to learn Lithuanian.

Nauseda said a discussion on migration to Lithuania and employment issues at the municipal level would be held at the Presidential Palace on Thursday.

As of October 1, almost 211,000 foreign nationals were living in Lithuania, including 77,000 Ukrainians, 51,000 Belarusians and 14,000 Russians.