Lithuanian politician and former presidential candidate Eduardas Vaitkus is under investigation by the police after visiting Minsk and meeting with Belarusian politicians. The Lithuanian is suspected of acting against Lithuania’s interests.
The information has been confirmed to BNS by police spokesman Ramūnas Matonis.
Vaitkus, who is critical of Vilnius’ policies towards Russia and Belarus, stated during his recent visit to Minsk that there is no legitimately elected president in Lithuania and that Lithuania is on the path of destruction of the Lithuanian nation and statehood.
The Belarusian news agency BelTA reported on Tuesday on the politician’s meetings and statements made in Minsk where Vaitkus met with the leader of the Belaya Rus party and held a press conference.
Vaitkus received 7.31 percent of the vote in last year’s presidential election and came in fifth in the first round of voting.
During the last general election, the list of candidates of the Lithuanian People’s Party he led failed to break the 5 percent election threshold as it received 2.64 percent of the vote.
The Lithuanian Foreign Ministry strongly recommends that Lithuanian citizens do not travel to Belarus and those currently in this country should leave immediately.
No comment from Vaitkus
Contacted for comment on Thursday, Vaitkus said any interview should be arranged with his lawyer.
“You know the lawyer Mažvydas Misiūnas, (...) he was my lawyer and my representative at the Chief Electoral Commission. Call him and arrange my interview with him,” Vaitkus told BNS.
Asked if he would not want to comment directly on the situation right now, he refused: “You don’t understand Lithuanian? Then goodbye.”
Contacted by BNS, his lawyer said he has not had the chance to familiarise himself with the pre-trial investigation. Misiūnas also said that Vaitkus had travelled to Belarus to strengthen relations between the two countries.
“The purpose of his trip was to strengthen ties, somehow, first of all, to get back to normal cooperation and dialogue between the two countries and their people,” Misiūnas told BNS. “One of the priority steps was, if he had been elected president, to go to Hungary first and then to Belarus. This was part of his [election] platform, so he is continuing with his programme. He is trying to implement it according to the possibilities and the status he has now.”
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