Lithuania’s parliament on Tuesday voted to ban Russian citizens from buying real estate in the Baltic country, citing risks to national security, Reuters and News.ro reported.
The ban, which will be in effect until 2024, will not apply to Russians who have received a residence permit in the country. The parliament also stopped issuing new visas for citizens of Russia and its ally Belarus.
Many dual nationals with other travel documents, such as previously issued visas, will be subject to “enhanced individual checks” at the border to determine whether they pose a threat to national security.
“The vast majority of Russian citizens support their country’s aggressive military actions and do not take measures to stop the regime’s aggression, so they share responsibility,” Deputy Foreign Minister Jurgita Nelyupsiene told parliament in March when she introduced the draft law.
Lithuania was the first country to declare Russia a state sponsor of terrorism
On May 10 last year, the Lithuanian parliament became the first legislative body in the world to classify Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism.
Russia condemned this action as “provocation, extremism and political hypocrisy”.
“Countries that accept such documents and declarations thus carry out extremist actions – it cannot be called otherwise. All these countries are members of NATO. Over the past decades, we have repeatedly witnessed illegal and aggressive actions by NATO, which have resulted in great human losses. This should be regarded precisely as an element of provocation, extremism and political hypocrisy,” accused Maria Zakharova, spokeswoman of the Russian Foreign Ministry.
On the same day, members of the Lithuanian parliament unanimously voted in favor of a resolution that characterizes Russia’s actions in Ukraine as “genocide” and “terrorism” and calls for the creation of an international tribunal modeled after the Nuremberg trials after World War II.
The resolution also states that war crimes by Russian forces include the deliberate killing of civilians, mass rape, the forced resettlement of Ukrainian citizens to Russia, and the destruction of economic infrastructure and cultural sites.
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Source: Hot News
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