SEIMAS OF THE REPUBLIC OF LITHUANIA
RESOLUTION
ON COUNTERING HYBRID AGGRESSION
13 July 2021 No XIV-505
Vilnius
stating that the states hostile towards Lithuania are waging hybrid aggression against the Republic of Lithuania, during which flows of third-country nationals illegally crossing the state border of the Republic of Lithuania are organised in violation of international law and international commitments to destabilise the situation in Lithuania and cause damage to the State of Lithuania, as well as the fact that on 23 May 2021, a civil aircraft with passengers on board was unlawfully seized in Belarus and other unlawful actions were carried out,
expressing concern that this hybrid aggression could be further developed and become the basis for threats of new nature in the context of ZAPAD, a large-scale military exercise,
underlining the commitment by the Republic of Lithuania to protect the external border of the European Union and NATO against irregular migration flows, of which only a minor part consists of bona fide refugees and which may become a cover for persons linked to terrorist and criminal groups who seek to enter the EU Member States and NATO member countries,
considering that the irregular international migration organised by the regimes hostile towards Lithuania and the resulting emergency in our country pose a threat to the constitutional order of the Republic of Lithuania and public peace,
proposes that the Government of the Republic of Lithuania:
2) with a view to countering hybrid aggression, deploys the Lithuanian Armed Forces to provide support in the guarding of the state border at the border between the Republic of Lithuania and the Republic of Belarus;
3) constructs along the perimeter of the state border with the Republic of Belarus, in the shortest possible time, a physical defence barrier with the potential of protecting the territory of the Republic of Lithuania against current and other potential hybrid aggression and eliminating preconditions for the formation of a mass migration channel via the territory of the Republic of Lithuania to other EU Member States and NATO member countries;
4) ensures that organisers of irregular migration flows, including natural and legal persons in Belarus, are brought to justice, are placed under national and EU sanctions and are subject to criminal prosecution and, where necessary, initiates an international investigation into the organisation and promotion of irregular migration;
5) when there is a justified need, applies in respect of the third-country nationals who have illegally crossed the state border of the Republic of Lithuania and are not in possession of identification documents, as far as possible and having regard to the degree of danger of the hybrid attack being waged by the regimes hostile towards Lithuania by exploiting these persons, all conditions of detention, protection and accommodation necessary to address threats to the constitutional order and public peace of the Republic of Lithuania. At the same time, while recognising the social and humanitarian nature of the migrant issue, managing the emergency arising in the country due to irregular international migration, ensures the exercise of human rights of migrants and refugees as stipulated in international and Lithuanian law;
6) initiates an information campaign in the countries of origin of irregular migrants in order to deter potential migrants from participating in criminal activities by illegally crossing the state border of the Republic of Lithuania;
7) seeks the return to countries of origin of all third-country nationals who have illegally crossed the state border of the Republic of Lithuania and have no legal grounds to apply for refugee status; to this end, builds on existing agreements or signs new readmission agreements necessary for the return of such persons;
8) should hybrid aggression continue and intensify, having regard to its degree of danger, launches consultations with NATO member countries, in particular with the United States of America, in the framework of Article 4 of the North Atlantic Treaty, which reads that ‘The Parties will consult together whenever, in the opinion of any of them, the territorial integrity, political independence or security of any of the Parties is threatened’;
9) issues a call to the EU Member States, the European Commission and other institutions to show solidarity and to provide to Lithuania the necessary support in countering hybrid aggression, including in accordance with the solidarity clause enshrined in Article 222 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, which provides that ‘The Union and its Member States shall act jointly in a spirit of solidarity if a Member State is the object of a terrorist attack or the victim of a natural or man-made disaster’.