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“This is not just a delegation to go to Belarus, but if someone comes to Lithuania, those people will have to participate in the discussions on the Belarus issue,” Irena Degutienė, vice president of Seimas, said during the board meeting.
“We all fully understand that this is a delegation working more and more here in Lithuania,” said Rima Baškienė, the first deputy speaker of parliament.
The delegation is made up of representatives of various Seimas factions belonging to the European Affairs and Foreign Affairs Committees. Gediminas Kirkilas, a “social worker”, chairman of the European Affairs Committee has been appointed its director.
When constituting the delegation, the members of the parliamentary table stressed that it was a political decision.
“I would suggest forming a delegation, not to have high expectations that they will take place soon, but I think it would be meaningful to have a political message, a political statement,” said Gabrielius Landsbergis, leader of the Seimas opposition.
Kirkilas also stated that a delegation was needed, although he would not go to Belarus in the near future.
Following the start of protests in Belarus in early August and the use of violence against protesters, Lithuanian MPs have taken the initiative to travel to Belarus and ask the Alexander Lukashenko regime to join the negotiating table with the opposition. However, Lithuanian MPs learned that they are not welcome in Minsk and will not be admitted to the neighboring country.
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