Tag: International Monetary Fund

May 8,2014 Lithuanian media round-up

On May 8th Lithuanian Parliament adopted a resolution for faster ratification of EU association agreement with Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine. In this resolution members of the Lithuanian Parliament also condemned continuous  attempts of Russia to split territorial integrity of Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia states through escalation of internal conflicts and provocations of separatism in order to deter these countries from independent choice of direction in political and economical integration. (Lithuanian Parliament Press Office, BNS, ELTA, 15min, The News radio, unofficial translation)

Petras Auštrevičius, Deputy Speaker of the Lithuanian Parliament and Kazys Starkevičius, member of the Lithuanian Parliament on May 10-11th will take part in meetings with the Volodomyr Lytvyn, Deputy Head of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on National Security and Defence Policy, Ruslan Koshulynskyi, Vice-Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada, members of the Group for Interparliamentary Relations with the Republic of Lithuania. Petras Auštrevičius and Kazys Starkevičius will also take part in meetings with Dmitry Tymchuk (‘Information Resistance’ group), Vitali Klitschko, Leader of the UDAR Party, Mykola Katerynchuk, Leader of the European Party of Ukraine, Ambassador Jan Tombinski, Head of the EU Delegation, Petro Poroshenko, candidate in Ukraine’s presidential elections, and Yuriy Tereshchenko, Acting Director General of ‘Ukroboronprom’. (Lithuanian Parliament Press Office, BNS, ELTA, 15min.lt)

On May 8th, initiated by Lithuania and Ukraine, informational event for OSCE delegations, dedicated to address human rights violation in Crimea took place in Vienna. Giedrius Čekuolis, Lithuania’s Ambassador to the OSCE, stressed that human rights of national minorities, especially Crimean Tatars, situation in Crimea after annexation only got worse. Mustafa Dzhemilev, Leader of Crimean Tatars, which also participated in the event as a guest, expressed his concern that ‘Crimean Tatars are threatened due to their principal position about territorial integrity of Ukraine, boycott of referendum and are called extremists by pro-russian Crimea government.’ (Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs information, ELTA, 15min.lt)

Miloš Zeman, President of the Czech Republic, and Lubomír Zaorálek, Czech Minister of Foreign Affairs, refused to attend the Victory Day reception in Russian Embassy in Prague. (delfi.lt, 15min.lt)

On May 7th Jerome Vacher, IMF Resident Representative in Ukraine, said that ‘mission of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) will come to Ukraine at the end of June or at the beginning of July to evaluate state’s economical situation.’ (delfi.lt).

Victoria Siumar, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, in an interview to 15min.lt said that ‘Russia is preparing false referendums in Donetsk and Luhansk on Sunday and there’s a threat that Russia can try to repeat Crimean scenario and try to bring its army into Eastern Ukraine.’ (15min.lt)

Garry Kasparov, chess player and Russian opposition activist warned that ‘grievous days are coming to the world if the Head of Russia won’t be stopped.’ Garry Kasparov also thinks that Russian army isn’t so modern and powerful as Putin says (lrytas.lt). Read more in Lithuania Tribune: http://www.lithuaniatribune.com/67849/kasparov-in-vilnius-western-countries-start-to-realize-putin-will-not-stop-in-ukraine-201467849/.

May 7, 2014 Lithuanian media round-up

On May 7th Mustafa Dzemilev, Leader of the Crimean Tatars, was awarded Solidarity Prize by Poland for respect of civil rights and liberties in Ukraine, especially in Tatar community. (vz.lt, delfi.lt)

Ukraine, during official events dedicated to the anniversary of the ending of WWII, will use European instead of Russian symbols. The Ukrainian Institute of National Memory is calling for the media and civil community to use the red poppy flower as a Ukrainian symbol of traditional celebration of victory over Nazism and the end of World War II in Europe. (lrytas.lt)

On May 7th Ukraine from International Monetary Fund (IMF) got 3,19 billion US dollars as the first part of emergency aid package. (vz.lt, delfi.lt, lrytas.lt, 15min.lt)

Danylo Lubkivski, Ukrainian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, in an interview to ru.delfi.lt stressed that in Eastern Ukraine acts Russian saboteurs and agents and that must be called terrorism. He also expressed his gratitude to Lithuanians for their solidarity to Ukraine people. (delfi.lt)

Loreta Graužinienė, Speaker of Lithuanian Parliament, on a News radio said that ‘to the use of so-called St. George ribbons in the Ukrainian crisis context, should be viewed with a higher degree of responsibility’. Read more in Lithuania Tribune:
http://www.lithuaniatribune.com/67670/public-transport-should-be-free-of-st-george-ribbons-seimas-speaker-201467670/.

Pat Cox, the former President of the European Parliament, in an interview to BNS said that ‘a Cold War has already started between the Western world and Russia, and Western sanctions probably will not alter the behaviour of Russian President Vladimir Putin’ (delfi.lt, 15min.lt). Read more in Lithuania Tribune:
http://www.lithuaniatribune.com/67680/pat-cox-russian-lies-implanted-in-many-good-peoples-mind-as-truth-201467680/.

Mikhail Khodorkovsky in an interview to Lietuvos rytas said that ‘if the Russian invasion to Ukraine would be not stopped, the Baltic or the Balkan countries could be the next target‘ (delfi.lt, 15min.lt). Read more in Lithuania Tribune: http://www.lithuaniatribune.com/67672/khodorkovsky-baltic-states-may-be-next-target-if-russia-not-stopped-201467672/.

Herman van Rompuy, President of the European Council, in his official Twitter said that ‘Further steps in destabilising Ukraine will call for additional sanctions. The EU is ready to take decisions, if needed’.(vz.lt)

May 2, 2014 Lithuanian media round-up

On May the 1st STRATFOR reported that Lithuania and Poland are working together with Ukraine to establish trilateral partnership strengthening Ukrainian military’s Western orientation and building a closer alliance with Kiev. Read more in Lithuania Tribune: http://www.lithuaniatribune.com/67527/lithuania-and-poland-seek-closer-military-ties-with-ukraine-201467527/,

On May 1st International Monetary Fund (IMF) warned that they would be forced to reconsider the size of emergency aid package for Ukraine if the country loses control of the Eastern Region (lrytas.lt, 15min.lt). You can read more in Reuters: http://in.reuters.com/article/2014/05/01/ukraine-crisis-imf-idINL2N0NN0UZ20140501.

On May 2nd Marius Laurinavičius, analyst of Eastern Europe Studies Center, in an interview to lrytas.lt journalist said that ‘according to his calculations there’re about 4000 active mutineers in Eastern Ukraine, from which about 300-400 are sent by Russia.’ (lrytas.lt). You can also read a recently published analysis ‘What will determine Ukraine’s future scenarios?’ by Marius Laurinavičius and his colleagues here: http://www.eesc.lt/news/737/1808/The-Eastern-Pulse-What-Will-Determine-Ukraine-s-Future-Scenarios.html.

Vilija Aleknaitė-Abramikienė, vice-president of OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, said that ‘Kremlin and Vladimir Putin itself has to take responsibility for arrested OSCE military observers in Eastern Ukraine’ (15min.lt, delfi.lt). Read more in Lithuania Tribune:
http://www.lithuaniatribune.com/67545/responsibility-for-observers-lives-lies-with-kremlin-lithuanian-osce-pa-vice-president-201467545/.

On May 2nd Andrius Kubilius, Leader of opposition of Lithuanian Parliament, on ‘Opposition’ radio programme emphasized the importance of ensuring energy independence in EU and clearly declaring the process of expanding the European Union if it wants to stop Russian aggression. (The News Radio)

On May 2nd Carl Bildt, Foreign Minister of Sweden, in his Twitter account said that ‘so far it is a clear assessment that Kiev’s government has been implementing April 17 Geneva agreement while Russia has not’. (15min.lt).