“New Group of Friends of Georgia” meeting in Vilnius

As the Lithuania’s Foreign Ministry informed a meeting of ministers of foreign affairs of the countries forming “New Group of Friends of Georgia” will take place on 13-14 September in Vilnius. This is the first time when the meeting of “New Group of Friends of Georgia” is organized in Vilnius.

The meeting will be attended by Georgian, Lithuanian, Latvian, Czech Estonian, Polish, Romanian foreign ministers, the Bulgarian Vice-Minister Evgenia Koldanova, and EU Special Representative for South Caucasus Peter Semneby.

Sweden has also expressed its wish to join “New Group of Friends of Georgia”. Swedish Minister of Foreign Affairs Carl Bildt attends to come to the meeting as well.

In Vilnius “New Group of Friends of Georgia” will discuss the issues that are currently most important to Georgia – namely, issues of  European and Euro-Atlantic integration.On 14 September Ukrainian Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs Volodymyr Khandogiy plans to join the ministerial discussion of “New Group of Friends of Georgia” on cooperation between the Baltic and the Black Sea states.

“New Group of Friends of Georgia” was established at the initiative of Georgia in February 2005. The first meeting of the group was arranged on 4 February 2005 in Tbilisi. Delegates met on 9 November 2005 in Bucharest, Romania, for the second time. On 9 November 2006 the third meeting of  “New Group of Friends of Georgia” was arranged in Sofia.

Lithuanian basketball supporter’s been released from the Madrid prison

The most famous Lithuanian basketball supporter Tomas Balaišis-Sėkla has been released from detention in Madrid and would be able to attend tonight’s match between Lithuania and Slovenia.  However, the supported will have to return to Madrid sometime in September or October for a hearing, since the Spanish policeman was not able to formulate his accusations against the supporter.

The incident acured between the Spanish police and the Lithuanian national team’s supporters two days ago just before the Lithuania – France match.

The Lithuanian national media actively reacted to the incident.  Even the Lithuanian Prime Minister Mr Kirkilas office issued a press release regarding the incident.  Part of it states that – ‘Concerned about media reports on the incident between Lithuanian basketball fans and Spanish police in Madrid, during which the Lithuanian flag was torn and the fans were beaten by the police, Prime Minister Gediminas Kirkilas held a telephone conversation with the country’s Ambassador to Spain Mečys Laurinkus.’

Basketball is regarded as a second religion in Lithuania, after Catholicism.

Lithuania should strengthen its strategic partnership with Scandinavia, said Lithuanian President

The President of the Republic of Lithuania Valdas Adamkus received heads of diplomatic missions of Lithuania and officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs who gathered to the annual meeting.

As the Presidential Press Office informed the President said to the diplomats that “Consolidation of the strategic partnership with Scandinavian countries is of particular importance to us from many aspects. One of the priorities of the Government is the establishment and development of a competitive economy and knowledge society. Scandinavian countries are unbeatable leaders in this area. We share similar vision on cooperation in the Baltic Sea region and EU relations with neighbours in the East”.

SAS crash-landing in Vilnius

The BNS reported that a Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS) plane with 48 passengers and four crew members on board crash-landed at Vilnius Airport early Wednesday due to a landing gear failure, but no one was seriously injured.  SAS said in a statement that the accident took place at 1:48 am local time.

“The pilots of the plane, which was heading from Copenhagen to (the Lithuanian seaside resort of) Palanga, noticed that the landing gear had failed and decided to make an emergency landing at Vilnius Airport because it has broader runaways,” Kestutis Auryla, the director of the Lithuanian Civil Aviation Administration, told BNS.

“The plane went off the runaway due to the defective right landing gear, but the landing was successful in the circumstances”, Auryla said.“All passengers and members of the crew were safely evacuated,” he added. As the BNS reported the Vilnius’ district prosecutor’s office started a pre-trial investigation of the incident that took place in Vilnius airport when Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS) plane Dash 8-400 crash-landed on the night to Wednesday.

As a press representative of the prosecutors reported the investigation is based on article of the Penal Code, which foresees responsibility for improper maintenance or repair of transport modes.The law foresees elimination of the right to do some job or to do some activities or even imprisonment for up to 5 years.“It was landing in extreme conditions for the pilots, they did their job perfectly. When landing they switched off the engines one after another and even though there were sparks when sliding, fire was avoided,” head for investigation of airplanes crashes and incidents of the Communication Ministry Kestutis Povilonis.

The airport resumed its normal work only at 0900, local time when the first plane landed in Vilnius. Until then only take-offs were allowed.“The SAS plane has been pulled some 50 meters aside from the incident location. It stays in the territory of Vilnius airport, but makes no obstructions for traffic of other airplanes,” Kestutis Povilonis told BNS. Because of the failure of the right gear, the SAS plane slid for some 27 meters off the runaway.The Swedish and Danish embassies’ consular teams were at the scene.  The head of the influential Lithuanian Parliament’s Committee Mr Sabatauskas was also on the plain, who said after emerging from the Airport ‘I concider this day to be the luckyest day in my life.’  As it was noted this was the most serious incedent since Lithuania regained its independece 17 years ago.

This is the second incident involving a SAS Dash 8-400 plane this week. On Sunday, an SAS Dash 8-400 crash-landed at Aalborg airport in Denmark when the landing gear collapsed. None of 73 passengers on board was seriously injured.

SAS on Tuesday said it would inspect all of its Dash 8-400 fleet, but after Vilnius incident decided to halt all flights with the aircraft.