The pavilion is about the arrival of foreign singers spreading propaganda: it is necessary to prohibit and create a common system

“It just came to our notice then. Yesterday at the ministry we brought together a group of people to assess these opportunities from a legal point of view. We will see what the conclusions will be,” Landsbergis said on Friday after the Coordination Council meeting. of Foreign Policy.

According to him, a legal basis is needed for such a decision.

“Although the tastes of music can vary greatly, we still need to see a clear legal basis that recommends that people be blacklisted, so that they are not allowed to enter one country or another,” said the foreign minister.

The minister also noted that the lists of people who are not allowed to come to Lithuania due to its repression in Belarus must be constantly updated.

“People directly involved in the suppression of Belarusian protests in Belarus should also be blacklisted.” … That process must not stop, “Landsbergis said.

In turn, the president of the Foreign Affairs Commission of Seimas Ž. Pavilionis said performers who use soft propaganda in their work should be barred from entering the country.

“It just came to our notice then. Hopefully, we won’t accept the tough threats, but it is the mild threats that are the most dangerous. We have to react,” Ž said. Pavilion.

He recalled that during the previous mandate of the Seimas, together with his colleague Laurynas Kasčiūnas, he proposed to the Government to complement the criteria established according to which the list of people who are prohibited from entering the country could be expanded.

“It just came to our attention then. As far as I know, we have negotiated with Lauryn in such a way that in the near future a meeting of the Committee on National Security and Defense will begin, together with the Committee on Culture, in which I will participate personally. We will talk very seriously with all institutions about how to create a system so that we do not have to constantly respond to those deplorable incidents, but to create a system and help institutions that do not face those geopolitical threats to avoid such mistakes in the future, “he said Ž. Pavilion.

Speaking about the lists of sanctioned people, Asta Skaigirytė, head of the Presidential Foreign Policy Group, noted that Lithuania is one of the most persistent advocates of sanctions against people who carry out repressions in Belarus.

“Lithuania is one of the most active countries fighting disinformation and very clearly identifies the actors of disinformation and retaliatory actions. (…) Under certain parameters, sanctions cannot be in vain, they must have a specific basis. Recently, sanctions at the EU level have been linked to the Belarusian regime and companies. Lithuania’s national sanctions list also includes more than 100 representatives of the Belarusian regime, ”said A. Skaisgirytė.

According to the head of the country, Gitanas Nausėda, chief. During the remote meeting of the Foreign Policy Coordination Council on Friday, Lithuania’s relations with Belarus, the countries of the Eastern Partnership, the current work of this year, as well as the nuances of buying vaccines internationally were also discussed. and other topics.

According to A. Skaisgirytė, experts agree that it is necessary to promote democratic processes in Belarus.

“Lithuania should develop a long-term strategy on Belarus,” A. Skaisgirytė said after the council meeting.

According to Mr Nausėda’s adviser, the debate also focused on how to further ensure that hazardous energy from the Astrava nuclear power plant does not enter the EU market.

“It is good that the security of Astravas has become not only a headache for Lithuania, it is a pan-European problem. All EU leaders agree that the European Commission should now consider the legal aspects of not allowing the entry of Belarusian electricity into the EU market. If Lithuania does not enter, it does not mean that it will not pass through other countries. Some kind of solution should be found at EU level, “added A. Skaisgirytė.

Ministry regrets subsidies for concert organizers of Russian artists

Daina Urbanavičienė, Deputy Minister of Culture and former head of the Lithuanian Council of Culture, regrets the situation where subsidies for missed or postponed events were awarded to companies planning concerts by Russian artists Filip Kirkorov and Mikhail Shufutinsky.

The vice minister says that only the economic and legal aspects were considered when allocating the subsidies.

“I sincerely regret the situation. While I was the president of the Lithuanian Council of Culture, only the economic and legal aspects were evaluated when allocating the subsidies to the organizers of cultural and artistic events according to the requirements specified in the program conditions.” said the deputy minister in a comment sent to BNS.

“I can say that the thoughts and actions of the artists mentioned in this context contradict the values ​​of the Lithuanian Council of Culture and the Lithuanian society and would not be financed in the powers of the Council, that is, in those financing instruments where the expert evaluation, “said D. Urbanavičienė.

She says she will also suggest an expert assessment of state aid to businesses due to the pandemic.

“My current position provides the opportunity to propose solutions that ensure compliance with the values ​​in such situations and would include the evaluation of experts in the provision of state aid to companies. The necessary formalities neither obscure nor can they obscure the qualitative and evaluative base, ”said the deputy minister.

Culture Minister Simonas Kairys says he considers the situation to be the blink of an eye, but stressed that the subsidies were awarded due to the “flawed previous subsidy procedure.”

The minister is committed to ensuring that from now on it is intended to evaluate both the quality and the artistic value, and decisions will be based on the conclusions of the experts.

“I would also like to take this painful lesson and take a deeper look at a long-standing problem as an opportunity. This is not the first time that incidents or doubts have arisen in the public sphere about the concerts of artists of the prophetic worldview in Lithuania, ”wrote S. Kairys.

“We will make the appropriate decisions at the national level against such artists. At the same time, we have another task ahead of us: constantly develop the taste of society and ensure the highest possible availability of quality content,” he said.

At the end of November last year, the Lithuanian Culture Council allocated almost 13,7 thousand. Euro subsidy to Bravo Events, a company that suffered losses due to the failure of F. Kirkorov’s concerts.

Almost 17 thousand. It was also awarded to the Mon voyage company, which suffered losses due to the concerts of M. Šufutinskis.

The Ministry of Culture also informed BNS that the Lithuanian Council of Culture had requested detailed information on the full implementation of the subsidized program.

Andrius Tapinas, a public figure and presenter, was outraged that the organizers of the F. Kirkorov and M. Šufutinskis concerts in Lithuania were subsidized.

“Kirkorov made a film in support of Lukashenko in September, called Crimea Russia’s favorite place in October, and congratulated the most beautiful president on his birthday. King Shufutinski of Bandiugai Chanson has also performed in occupied Crimea more than once,

According to him, the concerts of F. Kirkorov and M. Šufutinskis have been postponed for this year.