Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya thanked the minister for hearing and accepting Belarusians' proposals for amendments to the draft law on restrictive measures in view of military aggression against Ukraine. Ms. Tsikhanouskaya expressed gratitude on behalf of Belarusians that the amended draft law significantly softened the restrictions against citizens of Belarus as compared to the original draft. She stressed the importance of distinguishing between Belarusians and the Lukashenka regime.
Ms. Tsikhanouskaya thanked Evelina Gudzinskaitė, head of the Migration Department of the Lithuanian Interior Ministry, for constructive cooperation in resolving issues faced by Belarusians forced to leave Belarus due to the threat of political persecution.
During the talks, Ms. Bilotaitė and Ms. Tsikhanouskaya agreed to establish a working group including representatives of the United Transitional Cabinet, the Office of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, and the Lithuanian Interior Ministry to address migration and public safety issues. A similar group in Poland has shown its relevance and effectiveness.
The meeting discussed simplifying the requirements for Belarusians when applying for a residence permit, including abandoning the requirement of a certificate of no criminal record or an apostille for those citizens of Belarus who cannot return to Belarus. Shortly, the Migration Department plans to issue detailed instructions explaining the details of the procedures for the legalization of stay for Belarusians in Lithuania.
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya called for issuing longer-period residence permits on humanitarian grounds, which would also make it easier to obtain a foreigner's passport. In response to a request to speed up decisions on international protection, the Lithuanian side assured that it keeps applications from Belarusians under scrutiny and the delay is explained by additional national security verifications and many applications from Ukrainian refugees. It is expected that the delay will be eliminated by mid-2023, and the Belarusan applications will be processed according to the established terms. As a reminder, Lithuania is one of the EU leaders in positive decisions on international protection for Belarusians.
Minister Bilotaitė assured Ms. Tsikhanouskaya that Lithuania and the Lithuanian Interior Ministry would continue to support Belarusians in migration issues. More than 49,000 Belarusians are currently residing in Lithuania. This is the second largest foreign diaspora in Lithuania after citizens of Ukraine. A recent opinion poll has shown that about 95% of Belarusians in Lithuania support Ukraine in the war, while the rest say they support neither side.
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