Lithuania’s authorities have to either limit immigration or bolster intelligence capabilities, since officers are struggling to screen all arriving foreign nationals, says Darius Jauniškis, chief of the State Security Department (VSD).
According to him, around 17,000 people arrive from Belarus alone annually.
“We should think about how to stop this process,” the intelligence agency’s director told BNS in an interview.
“The breaking point has not been reached, but I believe we are approaching a critical point,” he said. “That is why I say that we should take these things very seriously and make certain decisions.”
While business companies understandably need to bring in labour, Jauniškis said, migration poses “counter-intelligence risks that the state will not be able to cope with in the near future”.
“Either we significantly beef up the capabilities of [intelligence] services, which is a rather lengthy and very costly process, or we take certain measures to halt the growth of diasporas,” he said.
The VSD has warned earlier about an “unprecedented level” of activity from Belarus’ intelligence agency, the KGB.
“I understand that the Belarusian opposition has always been a target for the secret services, always seen as a threat, but lately, we have been observing this very strong intensification,” Jauniškis told BNS.
Several MPs of the ruling conservative Homeland Union-Lithuanian Christian Democrats (TS-LKD) have submitted a bill aimed at tightening immigration of Belarusian nationals, imposing the same restrictions that currently apply to Russians. Highly skilled workers would enjoy an exception.
Jauniškis says he supports these proposals.
“Of course I back them, because [...] my duty is to protect the Lithuanian state from counter-intelligence threats. I am always in favour of taking more drastic measures to reduce the risk to our citizens,” he said.
However, the ruling bloc’s leaders say that these proposals require a more detailed discussion.
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