Minister's comments on Belarusian people's closeness to Lithuanians 'sound strange' – PM

  • 2025-01-13
  • BNS/TBT Staff

VILNIUS – Interior Minister Vladislav Kondratovic's comments about the Belarusian people's closeness to Lithuanians sound "quite strange in today's context", Social Democratic Prime Minister Gintautas Paluckas said on Monday.   

"In today's context, this sounds quite strange because (Alexander) Lukashenko's regime is hostile toward Lithuania," Paluckas told journalists.

"However, if we look at the history of many decades, from where Lithuania has received additional immigration, and how these diasporas have integrated into Lithuania, it's actually Ukraine and Belarus. So, it shouldn't be too surprising," he added.

Paluckas' comment came in response to Kondratovic's remarks on Current Time, a Russian-language TV channel established by the US media outlets Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and Voice of America.  

Asked about calls to limit economic migration from Belarus, the minister replied: "I can only confirm that culturally, Belarus is, of course, the closest country to Lithuania. It's the shared history, the shared culture, and the common statute." 

"Family ties with Belarus are strong, as many Lithuanian citizens have relatives in Belarus (...). This has been the case for centuries, and it's a historical reality," he said.

However, he added that "the situation is what it is" and emphasized that doubts voiced by the institutions responsible for managing threats to the state's stability signal that migration from Belarus requires extra attention.

Paluckas also said that immigration to Lithuania must be managed – there are already 220,000 foreign-born individuals living in the country, or 8 percent of the population.

"This can certainly become a challenge, so we need to take these matters seriously and consider the geopolitical situation as well. However, the minister's comment is in a broader context," the prime minister said.

Migration from Belarus to Lithuania sharply increased after 2020, when Lukashenko's disputed election victory led to a crackdown on the opposition.

However, following concerns that some of the immigrants may be coming for purely economic reasons and could pose a security risk, the number of Belarusian nationals holding residency permits in Lithuania started to decline last year.

According to the latest data, nearly 58,000 Belarusian citizens currently hold valid residence permits in Lithuania.