A German MP from the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) may have used a visit to Lithuania as a cover to make a further trip to Belarus.
A joint investigation was carried out by LRT Investigation Team and Germany’s investigative journalism centre Correctiv.
Petr Bystron is a deputy at the German Bundestag and a member of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party that has built its platform on extreme anti-migrant positions. Currently, the party opposes sanctions on Russia and argues against supplying arms to Ukraine.
“German tanks against Russia in Ukraine – remember, your grandfathers tried to do the same trick, together with Melnik, Bandera and their supporters. The result was immense suffering, millions of casualties on both sides and, eventually, Russian tanks came here, to Berlin,” Bystron said during a parliamentary debate.
The politician visited the Lithuanian parliament last November. He posted a photo on social media, showing himself shaking hands with Lithuanian MP Remigijus Žemaitaitis.
Asked whether he remembers the meeting, Žeimaitaitis, who is the leader of the Freedom and Justice party, said the meeting happened at Bystrom’s initiative. He admitted that he was the one who issued the pass for Bystrom to enter the parliament building.
“He is a member of parliament, he visited Lithuania. […] They [the AfD] approached me and asked to receive them in the Seimas [Lithuanian parliament]. Fine, I said: you are a parliament member, you can come and see our activities and our work,” Žemaitaitis told LRT.
The meeting happened on November 16 last year. On the same day, Bystrom left for Belarus via the border post at Medininkai. The crossing has been confirmed by LRT sources in government institutions.
He returned to Lithuania three days later, on November 19.
The German politician informed the Bundestag that he had gone to Lithuania only to develop parliamentary relations. He submitted a report to get reimbursed for his travel expenses.
Žemaitaitis said he did not know that his guest was going to Belarus.
“I don’t know where they go and what’s next on their itinerary. I think he heard my reply about Germany [its policies regarding Ukraine] and this was his first and last visit,” according to the Lithuanian MP.
In general, however, AfD politicians are frequent guests in Lithuania. Research shows that they have visited the country at least 13 times in the last five years and have attended rallies against pandemic restrictions and against migrants.
AfD members have also visited the Seimas, Lithuanian parliament, several times. Five years ago, AfD politicians planned to meet with another Lithuanian MP, Laurynas Kasčiūnas of the conservative TS-LKD party. However, the party’s leadership then refused to let the meeting happen.
Kasčiūnas, who now heads the Committee on National Security and Defence, shares AfD’s anti-immigrant stances, but holds ardently anti-Russian and pro-Ukraine arming positions. He says he made a mistake when he agreed to meet with AfD representatives and does not approve anyone else in the Lithuanian parliament nurturing ties with the German party.
“That apparently was part of a bigger operation, to get a formal invitation from the Seimas, to come to Lithuania, to cross to Belarus, then three days in between,” Kasčiūnas told LRT. “Belarus-Russia, you know, Moscow is just a few hours from Minsk. You can have all kinds of consultative meetings there, and then come back to Berlin with directives.”
The German parliament is going to investigate the circumstances of Bystrom’s trip, because the politician concealed his visit to Belarus.
“Belarus is Russia’s tool in the war. If you go to Belarus, you can also go to Russia,” said Roderich Kiesewetter, the Bundestag’s Foreign Affairs Committee member. “Did he travel privately? He travelled there and did not inform the Bundestag. So it did not seem to matter to him. This shows that either he was there on holiday or he just wanted to hide the trip. And that is worrying, because he is the head of the AfD Committee on Foreign Affairs. This looks like an abuse of office.”
Bystron visited Belarus a few weeks before the German law enforcement made multiple arrests over a planned coup by the Reichsbürger movement. One of the arrested suspects was AfD member Birgit Malsack-Winkemann.
Bystron was approached by Correctiv for comment but refused to answer the questions. He promised to send his responses in writing but has not done so yet.
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