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The Latvia-Lithuania-Belarus program was launched in 2014 and its strategic objective is to strengthen relationships, develop capacities and share experiences between people and organizations from Latvia, Lithuania and Belarus through joint projects aimed at substantially improving the quality of life in border regions. .
“We have launched the project” New forensic technologies for on-site investigations and public safety “, said Colonel Andrei Rashchupkin, colonel of justice, head of the main division of forensic medicine of the central office of the forensic committee of the state of Belarus, mid-September. “Our partner is the Lithuanian Police Forensic Medicine Center.”
The agreement on the project and the partnership with Belarus was signed on February 27, 2019. Its total budget is 850 thousand. EUR and EU funding – 765 thousand. euros.
“Belarusians themselves buy equipment, the Lithuanian police do not participate in it, they cannot influence these purchases. The funds are from the European Commission,” said Ramūnas Matonis, a representative of the Police Department.
He explained that the Lithuanian police acted only as a partner in this project.
“These are the rules of the projects, everything is strictly regulated. Under the project, the European Commission (EC) is transferring money to Lithuania, and Lithuania is transferring money to Belarus, the project partners explained. “Because the EC cannot directly under the project management rules.”
According to him, the money from the drones was transferred to Belarus in 2020. In May.
Just fulfilled the contract
Birutė Isella, coordinator of the program in Lithuania, told Euroradio.fm that the drone transfer project was signed last year.
“Despite the current situation, we operate in accordance with the procedures established in the contracts. The contracts are valid, there are still no solutions for us not to comply with the clauses of the contracts. This program continues and will continue for at least a couple of years, “said B. Isella.
15 minutes contacted Valerija Machnorylova, the communications representative for the program, but she asked that questions be mailed to her. We hope to add a comment to your text.
The representative of the Police Department, R. Matonis, reported that Belarus bought the drones on its own.
“Lithuania is a partner in this project. It is funded by the European Commission (EC), and they allocate funds,” said R. Mataton.
According to the police, on October 8, the EC plans to decide on the future progress of the projects with Belarus.
“According to the project, which began in 2020. In February there were no face-to-face meetings with the partners and there are no plans to meet, there will be no joint trainings or other activities,” added R. Matonis.
He pointed out that the drones delivered were not special: “The drones are domestic, they can be bought in any store.”
Bureaucracy that leads to the absurd
Laurynas Jonavičius, a professor at the Institute of International Relations and Political Sciences at Vilnius University, who closely follows the political situation in Belarus and Lithuania’s relations with this country, appears to have linked the scandal to the bureaucratic mechanism of the EU, which sometimes it leads to the absurd.
“I understand that system, but in this context, the deal becomes an illustration: it is a very large mechanism with many arms and legs, one side cannot capture what the other side is doing.” The problem has been obvious for a long time, but now this story is turning into a very ugly illustration. ” 15 minutes said L. Jonavičius.
Photo by Sigismund Gedvila / 15min / Laurynas Jonavičius
The analyst’s lack of communication with the Lithuanian authorities is also strange: Diplomats have been working hard in recent months to glorify the aspirations of Belarusian protesters, but the bureaucracy appears to be taking over at the Interior Ministry (MIA).
The same, by the way, 15 minutes Foreign Ministry sources also said, urging that the Interior Ministry be contacted specifically for comment.
“There is a lack of internal coordination, not only at the EU level, but also in Lithuania,” Jonavičius said, recalling the story of 2011, when the clergy of our country’s Ministry of Justice calmly transmitted confidential data about the Belarusian activist. Alesius Beliacki to Minsk officials. then he was arrested.
“It just came to our knowledge then. One may wonder why you don’t learn from mistakes, but of course those things are hard to avoid. Sad and so on. If the Lithuanians really did deliver the drones, I don’t even know what to say. , Aren’t people following the situation? ”L. Jonavičius reflected.
Belarus has been waging massive protests for almost two months over the August 9 presidential elections, announced by Aliaksandr Lukashenko, who has ruled the country since 1994. The opposition and Western democracies consider these elections rigged.
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