Olekas says Belarus sanctions should be strengthened

Lithuania continues to support strengthening sanctions against Belarus and the release of political prisoners, Speaker of the Seimas Juozas Olekas said, according to LRT.

Olekas made the comments to reporters at the Seimas, Lithuania’s parliament, after meeting Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the Belarusian opposition leader.

“We maintain the position that sanctions must be strengthened. We support the release of political prisoners. But we do not see changes that would allow us to reduce sanctions or believe that reducing them would have an even greater effect on democracy,” Olekas said.

He said Lithuania’s Foreign Ministry, together with European partners and US allies, was seeking ways to communicate that Belarus could end its repression and allow people to express their views.

The European Union extended its sanctions against Belarus for one year in February. They target individuals and entities responsible for repression and intimidation of peaceful protesters, opposition members and journalists, as well as for improperly conducted elections, the torture of detainees and other human rights violations.

Economic sanctions also remain in force in the trade, financial, transport and energy sectors, among others, with the aim of reducing the regime’s revenue and preventing sanctions evasion.

Olekas says planned China meetings will not harm Lithuania’s image

Olekas also said he did not believe a planned visit to Brussels by Seimas members Ignas Vėgėlė and Rimas Jonas Jankūnas would damage Lithuania’s image. The lawmakers plan to meet Chinese representatives to the European Union.

“Members of the Seimas are free to travel. Free people in a free country can travel and meet whomever they want,” Olekas said.

He added that the Seimas Foreign Affairs Committee and the Foreign Ministry were responsible for Lithuania’s official foreign policy, but said he trusted the lawmakers to represent themselves responsibly.

The Seimas board rejected the lawmakers’ request for an official business trip to Brussels on Thursday. Olekas said they could still travel, but would not be parliamentary delegates.

Vėgėlė told ELTA on Wednesday that he planned to attend the meetings at his own expense. Conservative lawmaker Radvilė Morkūnaitė-Mikulėnienė has asked the Seimas Ethics and Procedures Commission to assess the planned visit.

The lawmakers plan to be in Brussels from September 7 to 9.

Lithuania’s relations with Beijing deteriorated significantly after the opening of a Taiwanese Representative Office in Lithuania in late 2021. China regards Taiwan as a province that has no right to establish representative offices in countries with which China maintains official relations, and imposed strict diplomatic and economic sanctions on Lithuania over the decision.