Defence group chief rejects Nemuno Aušra pressure allegations

Visuotinė gynyba association chief Tomas Godliauskas has rejected allegations by the opposition Nemuno Aušra party that the organisation is pressuring politicians, telling LRT on Thursday that his conscience was clear.

“We are raising questions about the state’s preparedness and resilience. My conscience is clear,” Godliauskas told reporters at the President’s Office.

Godliauskas, a former presidential adviser and former deputy defence minister, said the association aims to ensure that by 2030, 70 percent of the population understands its role in a crisis and is prepared for one. The organisation also seeks to strengthen the resilience of various organisations and works with politicians by providing insights, advice and recommendations.

“Everything we do is in the interests of national security,” Godliauskas said, adding that he could guarantee the transparency and accuracy of the association’s activities and its cooperation with state institutions.

Presidential adviser Marius Česnulevičius said Nemuno Aušra would receive answers to the questions it had raised. He stressed that decisions concerning national defence are made by state institutions, primarily the State Defence Council, rather than non-governmental organisations.

“We have a system that usually protects against any influence,” Česnulevičius said. He added that there appeared to be no negative interest for businesses seeking to take a share of the 5 percent of the budget allocated to defence, saying that companies were instead contributing financial and human resources to strengthening defence.

At a universal defence forum held at the President’s Office on Thursday, 63 businesses, municipalities, non-governmental organisations, associations and state institutions formalised a joint commitment to systematically prepare for their roles in universal defence.

Nemuno Aušra representatives in the Seimas said they planned to ask the Prosecutor General’s Office and the State Security Department to assess Visuotinė gynyba’s activities. Party leader Remigijus Žemaitaitis alleged that Lithuanian businesspeople who established the organisation were threatening to pressure politicians and the military to ensure that their recommendations or proposed decisions were adopted.

According to Žemaitaitis, some members of the Seimas received a letter containing an excerpt from an allegedly association-sent message that said: “We will act, speak both nicely and angrily, apply pressure, pull, push and get it done. We will force politicians and society to do what they must do.”

Nemuno Aušra has also raised concerns about Visuotinė gynyba’s plans to raise 2.5 million euros, arguing that such funds could become an effective tool for exerting influence, particularly before elections.