“We will soon have a sitting of the Committee not only on this issue but in general on the participation in the Russian market and on the analysis of the influence of Russia on our economy, and what we could do legislatively to rein under control this influence and the influence of interdependencies on our political-economic system,” MP Kasčiūnas said on Tuesday in an interview to the news website delfi.lt.
“When we speak only about business, there is a moral issue. But there is politics, where there is a political ambition (&) and we must have some sort of safeguards,” the MP added.
Earlier, Liberal Movement’s MP Raimundas Lopata suggested prohibiting business ties with Russia after the latter was declared a terrorist state. The politician noted that Lithuania still does not have a legal mechanism defining relations of business entities and private persons with, for instance, terrorist organisations. He argues his proposal would bring more clarity.
If parliament passes the bill, businesses would be given three months to sever all ties with Russia.
Former prime ministers Saulius Skvernelis and Algirdas Butkevičius, representatives of the party Democrats For Lithuania, are critical of the idea. They believe that business ties with Russia should not be regulated and that businesspeople should themselves consider the issue taking into account their reputation. Opposition MPs also think that such proposals should be discussed with the European Commission.
