Discussion on Migration Issues Relevant to Belarusian Citizens Living in Lithuania
On Friday, April 10, a meeting took place between Indrė Gasperė, Director of the Migration Department, and Dzianis Kučynskis, Head of the Vilnius Office of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, leader of the Belarusian opposition.
During the meeting, current issues related to the issuance of temporary residence permits and asylum procedures for Belarusian citizens currently residing in Lithuania were reviewed.
The meeting also addressed other problematic aspects faced by Belarusians living in Lithuania and other European countries. Due to objective reasons, Belarusian citizens who were forced to leave their country cannot currently renew their passports when they expire or if the documents are lost.
On behalf of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, Dzianis Kučynskis thanked the Migration Department for its work and assistance in legalizing former political prisoners who arrived in Lithuania from Belarus with the mediation of various partner states.
Indrė Gasperė and Dzianis Kučynskis agreed to organize a future meeting with representatives of the Belarusian community to further discuss various migration procedures relevant to the diaspora.
Currently, nearly 50,000 Belarusian citizens hold residence permits in Lithuania on various grounds. This is the second-largest foreign community in the country.