The team of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya has canceled a planned visit to Armenia after Lithuania rejected a request to provide at least one security officer for the trip, adviser to the democratic forces leader Denis Kuchynski told 15min.lt.
According to him, the politician’s team requested personal security during the visit due to a high level of risk and offered to cover the costs, but did not receive a positive response.
“Yes, I can confirm that we were forced to make the difficult decision to cancel the long-planned, first-ever visit to Armenia to attend the Euronest plenary session. This visit could have been an important step toward strengthening cooperation and expanding our shared European perspective.
The cancellation is linked to the decision to suspend the use of personal protection — the State Security Service of High-Ranking Officials — abroad. We had hoped that an exception would be made for countries with a higher level of risk, but unfortunately, that did not happen,” Delfi quoted him as saying.
Kuchynski stressed that he does not criticize the Lithuanian government’s decision, adding that Tsikhanouskaya’s Office is grateful to President Gitanas Nausėda, Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys, and Seimas Speaker Juozas Olekas for their support.
The Lithuanian Foreign Ministry, in turn, assured that the Lithuanian diplomatic mission in Armenia was ready to provide all necessary assistance during the visit.
Earlier, it was reported that instead of the State Security Service for High-Ranking Officials, Tsikhanouskaya’s protection will now be handled by the Criminal Police Bureau. Tsikhanouskaya’s Office was informed of the change earlier this month. According to Kuchynski, the physical office in Vilnius suspended operations due to uncertainty regarding security arrangements, and staff switched to remote work.
President Gitanas Nausėda said that the situation surrounding the change in Tsikhanouskaya’s security regime was being politicized and dramatized. On October 16, he stated that nothing had changed in relation to Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya — she remains a guest of the country, though she and her team are free to choose where they wish to reside.
A week earlier, Kuchynski said that Lithuania’s State Security Service for High-Ranking Officials had temporarily reinstated security measures for the leader of the Belarusian democratic forces. The decision will remain in effect until a new protection system is established.