Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya met with the Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs of Lithuania, Arnoldas Abramavičius, to discuss the current issues faced by Belarusians in Lithuania regarding the legalization of stay. As a result of the meeting, the Lithuanian side confirmed that they will continue to issue residence documents to Belarusians with expired passports, although each case will be considered individually. Children born in Lithuania will be eligible for receiving the foreigner’s passport, which entitles foreigners to travel from and back to Lithuania during the period of its validity.
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya emphasized the need for visa issuance to those who are currently in Belarus. She also proposed extending the validity of humanitarian residence permits to three years and extending the validity of the foreigner’s passport. The Lithuanian Seimas may discuss this issue in the fall.
Mr. Abramavičius assured Ms. Tsikhanouskaya that Belarusians fleeing repression will have a humanitarian corridor from Belarus to Lithuania regardless of the situation.
