Landsberg Interview with the Country: Belarus has been imprisoned by 10 million people

According to El País, Landsberg, 39, came to family politics. His grandfather Vytautas Landsbergis was the first leader of restored Lithuania to declare the country’s independence from the Soviet Union in 1990.

“Both are concerned about the Putin government in Russia and the Alexander Lukashenko regime in Belarus. The fight against the latter is the biggest challenge for G. Landsbergis in the six months he has been in charge of the ministry,” the publication writes.

– How do you assess the evolution of the crisis with Belarus?

– She’s very worried. [Prezidentas] Lukashenko has shown that he is capable of using tools against civilians and the opposition that we could not have imagined. When someone chooses a commercial flight, they are doing it to make sure the plane is safe and the people on board are safe.

That is no longer the case, and the worst part is that we do not know if this is the last red line in Belarus or if there will be more.

– And what role do you think Russia plays?

– Without a doubt, Russia is behind all episodes of destabilization in the region. Putin will hold elections at the end of the year and I am not sure if he is confident in his options because he is not as strong as he used to be.

That is why he must first make sure that there is no internal opposition to what he did with Alexei Navaln, and then try to show that only he can bring stability to the region. This requires, first of all, creating an unstable situation in which to act.

„Scanpix“ / ITAR-TASS nuotr./Vladimiras Putinas

The message that Europe must send not only to Minsk but also to Moscow is that we are aware of his involvement in these episodes, his attempts to destabilize the region, and we do not trust him as a peacemaker.

– In recent weeks, your government has accused Belarus of ignoring and even supporting the entry of illegal immigrants across the border.

– Migration is becoming one of the hybrid threats we face. Many European countries face the arrival of illegal immigrants, such as Spain, Germany or Italy.

However, in this particular case, the migration process is being led. In this case, we are not talking about people who want to come to Lithuania in search of a better life. The Belarusian regime is forcing them to cross the border to destabilize the European Union. This means that the border with northern Europe is no longer secure.

– What action do you expect from the European Union??

– Now we are among the countries with illegal immigration problems and we have no experience. We have previously participated in a resettlement program, recently we have received 10 asylum seekers from Lampedusa (Italy), but our only experience has been legal migration, where we have been able to decide whether to allow entry into the country.

So to solve this situation, we need help with border controls and technical and political support.

– What do you expect from the European Union in general with regard to Belarus?

– I think that many of the things that we did not do after last year’s elections in Belarus now seem quite reasonable. Belarus is highly dependent on trade with Europe, trade in petroleum products, machinery, and even European financing, as half of Belarus’ debts are owed to Western banks. Those sectors may be subject to sanctions.

– Such measures may harm the Lithuanian economy, which conducts significant business with Belarus through the port of Klaipeda.

– Maybe so, but we still think it is necessary to discuss it and we think it is correct. If the decision really hurts our economy, we can ask the EU for appropriate help or compensation. The best thing would be to find a balance.

„Reuters“ / „Scanpix“ nuotr./Aliaksandras Lukašenka

– Are you not afraid that these measures will finally push Lukashenko into the arms of Moscow?

– There is no doubt that this would increase the price that Moscow has to pay to keep Lukashenko, and I am not sure that Putin wants to do that. Putin is currently in a difficult position. On the one hand, he would like to get rid of Lukashenko, as the latter is ineffective and those sanctions are costly for Russia. On the other hand, if he allowed Lukashenko to be overthrown, it would be like a confession that social pressure forced him to withdraw. And that would lead to interesting ideas in Russia. I believe that Russia is at a crossroads.

– After the plane incident, did you have to increase the security of the Belarusian opposition living in Lithuania?

– We are still evaluating the situation. We help the politicians who are here as much as we can, as befits the host country. They need to be careful and know that even in NATO and EU countries, Russia and Belarus can infiltrate through their agents, as has happened in the UK and elsewhere.

– Could you speak to Romanas Protasevičius??

– No not yet. We communicate with his family, but we have no official knowledge. We also saw what was broadcast on Belarusian television, which is simply horrible, because it showed a man who was clearly tortured and forced to say things that show that those are not his true thoughts.

We cannot accept that more than 400 people are being tortured and imprisoned just 200 kilometers from where we are now sitting, in a world similar to North Korea.

– As for the entity the Belarusian regime is targeting, what is your greatest fear?

– Belarus has actually become a prison, a gulag for 10 million people locked across the border with an unstable leader who is putting the lives of many people in danger.