The Foreign Ministry proposes that Kirkorov of Russia should not be allowed to enter Lithuania: the doors should also be closed to other artists

According to the ministry, on Monday he submitted a presentation to the Interior Ministry and the Migration Department requesting the inclusion of Filip Kirkorov, a Russian and Bulgarian citizen, on the national list of foreigners banned from entering Lithuania.

According to Foreign Minister Gabriel Landsbergis, the well-known interpreter, during his repeated visits to the illegally annexed Crimean peninsula, “he deliberately denied the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine and thus indirectly justified the aggressive actions of the Russian Federation”.

“We will systematically evaluate all the actors that Russia seeks to exploit by spreading its foreign policy and trying to influence the Lithuanian people. The citizens of Belarus, who have contributed to the repression of peaceful protesters, should also not be neglected and severely evaluated,” he said. Minister G. Landsbergis.

Later on Monday, he told reporters that a final decision was being proposed for Interior Minister Agne Bilotaitė. He stressed that the participation of F. Kirkorov in concerts in Crimea “substantially undermines the national security of Lithuania.”

“According to our proposal, a representative of the soft power that justifies the occupation of Russia should not visit Lithuania. We have submitted such a proposal to the Interior Ministry, the final decision is in their hands,” he said at a press conference.

Mr. Landsbergis emphasized that the current government must “systematically evaluate those who come to Lithuania from countries like Russia in general.” According to him, the possibility of blacklisting other Russian artists, as well as representatives of the regime responsible for the repression in Belarus, is being evaluated.

“(BNS should be) to see in general what kind of people come to us, what message they bring to the residents of Lithuania and if their performance is for the benefit of Lithuania. We also appreciate other performers who have been heard in public, not only for their music, but also for their names, ”said the Minister.

Considerations for expanding the so-called blacklist in the public sphere arose when it became clear that subsidies for lost or relocated cultural events were awarded to companies planning concerts by Russian artists Filip Kirkorov and Mikhail Shufutinsky.