LRT English Newsletter – July 7, 2023.
Forty-eight delegations comprising some 2,400 people, including 40 heads of state and 150 top-level officials, are due to flock to Lithuania for the NATO summit. Thousands more journalists, think-tankers, and experts are also due to come, including those attending the meme-infused-yet-very-serious NAFO summit. It’s going to be a crazy few days – here’s what you should probably know.
Vilnius has been sprucing up for the occasion, going as far as to hide its ageing trolleybus fleet. Nothing wrong with that, said President Gitanas Nausėda, dropping another one of his famous metaphors - “let's not beat ourselves up for deciding to put on a bit of lipstick before the event.”
So if you are one of the think-tankers, then keep an eye on the NATO Public Forum, probably one of the few events accessible to the public (albeit, online only). If you know about interesting side events, or if you are hosting one of your own – we are looking at some of our weekly newsletter readers – please let us know (english@lrt.lt), we will include them in the list.
NAFO
And speaking of the NAFO summit, the meetings will take place this weekend. You can find more information about the event here. Meanwhile, here’s also an in-depth account of Shiba Inu-themed meme fighters from our friends at the Baltic News Service (BNS)
RESTRICTIONS
If you are not one of the visitors, you are probably wondering how the thousands of NATO-themed guests will affect your commute and walkabouts. Here’s what you should know, as compiled by BNS.
(You can find a high-res image of the map here.)
On July 11, a no-traffic zone for cars, pedestrians, cyclists and other road users will come into force in parts of the old town and central Vilnius.
Streets around Vilnius Airport will also be partly blocked between July 10 and 13. Only passengers with flight tickets will be able to access airport terminals.
Access restrictions to Litexpo, the exhibition and convention space where the NATO summit will be held, will be in place starting July 7.
Outside central Vilnius, avoid southbound parts of Laisvės Prospektas which will be blocked to traffic.
If you live in the Old Town and have a parking permit, you will be able to leave your car for free from July 5 in any other area.
Public transport in the capital will be free from July 10 to 13. However, regular timetables and routes will be affected, so check the JUDU website before you travel.
More trains will run between Vilnius and Kaunas, including in the late evenings. There will also be additional morning services.
The airspace over Lithuania will be closed from midday on July 11 until 16;00 on July 12. No commercial flights will operate, as more than 100 flights have already been cancelled. Bans on small planes, balloons, and drones will also remain in effect for longer, between July 7 and 13.
Lithuania will also reintroduce border checks, so keep that in mind if you are travelling to the country by car or bus. Checks will be in place, including on the internal EU borders with Latvia and Poland, from 08:00 on July 7 until 08:00 on July 13.
NATOLIDAYS
If you’re looking to escape the capital altogether, Lithuania’s second-largest city Kaunas is hosting a “NATOstogos” campaign, loosely translated as NATOlidays. In short, you can find cheaper accommodation and a place to work remotely from Kaunas, which is less than 100 kilometres from Vilnius (there are bus and train links available). More info is available on the municipality’s website here and here.
GET SERIOUS
Now, onto more serious news surrounding the summit. In an exclusive interview, Stefanie Babst, who worked for NATO for 20 years and served as assistant secretary general for public diplomacy from 2006-2012, said the declarations of unity “are bullshit”. Many more mistakes were done, she alleges.
Meanwhile, the alliance members are still mostly split about what to offer to Ukraine. The group of countries wanting Ukraine to go all the way – and soon – is getting smaller, with even Lithuanian officials indicating it will not go for the nuclear option by vetoing a potentially lukewarm declaration.
And even though NATO allegedly agrees there should be more focus on the Baltic states, it’s unclear whether that should mean more troops on the ground here in Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia.
EDITOR’S PICKS
We have had a short work week, so this week’s editor’s picks will be some of the key news you may have missed over the past few days.
– July 6 marked Lithuania’s State Day. commemorating the coronation of the nation's first and only King Mindaugas in 1253. Here’s more about the day and its significance in Lithuania’s historiography.
– A Lithuanian MEP is funding ‘alternative news’.
– A Lithuanian volunteer has died in Ukraine.
– Europe is ignoring the Baltics on Russia, again, says Lithuania’s former president.
– We try to answer some questions about Lithuania’s migration-cum-border-cum-legal crisis.
– Lithuania’s state-owned railways record a 20-fold drop in profits.
– Beer is getting pricey.
– Housing is also getting pricey.
– But check out this goat pageant show.
Would you like to contribute to LRT English? Please send your suggestions, submissions, and pitches to english@lrt.lt
Written by Benas Gerdžiūnas
Edited by Justinas Šuliokas
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