Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — Lithuania will close external centers issuing residence permits in Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Bosnia and Herzegovina. The decision is linked to an assessment of potential security and terrorism threats, Lithuanian Interior Minister Martinas Katelinas said.
The interior minister said Lithuanian authorities see no grounds to maintain the operations of such centers in the four countries. According to him, information on the security situation was taken into account when making the decision.
Katelinas also said Lithuania’s State Security Department had identified individuals among citizens of the countries concerned who hold radical views.
“We cannot afford to let risks become incidents,” the minister wrote on his Facebook page.
According to data cited by the Lithuanian authorities, 227,000 foreign citizens were in the country as of 1 September. Ukrainian citizens formed the largest group, at about 80,000 people. Lithuania was also home to 48,000 Belarusian citizens, 13,000 Russian citizens and 13,000 Uzbek citizens, 9,400 Indian citizens and 7,400 Tajik citizens.
