Lithuania plans to terminate several bilateral agreements with Russia and Belarus, replacing them with multilateral agreements.
The country’s government is set to decide on the denunciation of four treaties on Wednesday, while other proposals are still being debated.
It is proposed to terminate Lithuania’s agreements with the governments of Russia and Belarus on investment promotion and protection, as well as on trade and economic relations.
The Justice Ministry has prepared a proposal to denounce the agreement with Russia on legal assistance and legal relations in civil, family, and criminal matters, while the Finance Ministry has drawn up a proposal to denounce the agreement with Russia on the avoidance of double taxation of income and capital and on the prevention of fiscal irregularities.
Last year, the Interior Ministry also terminated the 1993 agreement with Belarus on cooperation in the areas of ministerial management.
The Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Lithuania and the Government of Belarus on the Basic Principles of Border Cooperation, signed in Vilnius in 2006, has also already been denounced.
“Following the outbreak of Russia’s war against Ukraine, the Foreign Ministry asked all institutions to assess the scope and need for international legal cooperation with Russia,” Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis told BNS.
Lithuanian institutions were then asked to consider whether a particular bilateral agreement could be replaced by a multilateral treaty or an international legal instrument.
Although bilateral agreements will be denounced, Landsbrgis said, multilateral treaties that could replace them will allow Lithuania to maintain formal communication with Russia and Belarus, although no real cooperation is expected from these countries.
“We need to have a political understanding that we do not expect any cooperation with Russia because there has been no cooperation for some time,” the foreign minister said.
“When one of the partners follows the rule of law and the other does not, it means that the provisions of the treaty are binding on Lithuania and we have to fulfil them, meaning that Russia’s requests under the treaty may become binding on us,” he added.
According to Justice Minister Ewelina Dobrowolska, it is proposed to terminate the legal cooperation agreement with Russia because “there are other international agreements that could also be used for cooperation between institutions, if necessary”.
However, the Justice Ministry suggests keeping two agreements.
“Having assessed the needs, opportunities, and legitimate interests of Lithuanian citizens, we see that the legal cooperation agreement with Belarus could not be terminated, and it is not recommended to terminate it, as we have no international documents we could use as a basis for cooperation,” Dobrowolska told BNS.
The same situation applies to the agreement with Russia on the exchange of convicts, which is why Vilnius wants it to stay in force.
The denouncement of some treaties needs the Seimas’ approval, while others require a government resolution only.
Newsletter
Every Friday morning.
