Lituanica

As the BNS informed the Lithuanian press is seen as having one of the highest levels of free press among Eastern European and post-Soviet countries and is even ahead of counterparts in some of European Union’s (EU) old-timer countries.

According to the BNS this finding was revealed by the Global Press Freedom Survey 2008 announced by US-based NGO Freedom House, promoting global development of freedom.

BNS pointed out that as shown in the survey, Lithuania together with the Czech Republic share the second and third places ,both countries were rated 18, among Central and Eastern Europe as well as former Soviet Union countries according to freedom of press. Estonia is a leader when it comes to freedom of press in this group of countries, and received the rating of 16 in the report.

The aforementioned countries, together with slightly lower rated Hungary, Latvia, Slovakia, Slovenia and Poland, made it to the ranks of nations, which enjoy free press.

Lithuania has always been known for its Agriculture sector.  However, the steep rise of the other sectors left the agriculture sector lagging behind and the sector’s contributions to the national GDP is in constant decline.

Never the less, apparently doomed industry is experiencing a revival.  This process is not confined only to Lithuania; this is the world’s tendency.  The recent grab of the ‘Agrowill Group’ stock in the auction only reveilles that the sector is on the way to recovery.  Especially encouraging sign for the company and for the sector as a whole is that the Scandinavian funds bought about 95% of all shares.

Interestingly enough, the business daily ‘Verslo Zinios’ (owned by the Swedish capital) announced an interesting article.  Minister of the Foreign Affairs, Mr Vaitiekunas paid a visit to Kuwait last month.  He also brought a large delegation of the Lithuanian businessmen with him.

Apparently the representatives of the Lithuanian Agriculture sector had a proposal from the Kuwaiti businessman to replace the Danish agriculture products in Kuwait.  This is of course an aftermath of the caricature scandal in 2005.  As the article claims, the Lithuanians have a great opportunity to replace all Scandinavian products in the Gulf States.  According to the paper the Gulf States imported USD12 bln worth of the agriculture products in 2006, or 98% of all agriculture products.

The Lithuanians are shocked with the proposal and admit that this would be a huge challenge to the sector.  Not the major concern I guess but rather important to the Lithuanians how to not offend our strategic partners! Hence, the Lithuanian businessmen are considering cooperating with their Scandinavian colleagues and becoming an intermediate between the Gulf States and Scandinavia.  The Scandinavians could send their products to Lithuania and the Lithuanians could pack them into the Lithuanian packages and provide the products to the Gulf States!  The wolf is fed and the sheep is intact!

As the BNS informed seven presidents, 12 ministers, top-ranking officials of the United States and the European Union (EU), as well as experts and representatives of energy companies will gather in Vilnius later this week to discuss global energy security and search for the framework for EU external energy policy.

Presidents of Lithuania, Poland, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Latvia, Romania and Ukraine, EU Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs, US Deputy Energy Secretary Clay Sell, representatives of governments of Belgium, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Spain, Great Britain, Kazakhstan, the Netherlands, Norway, France, Slovenia, Sweden, Turkey and Bayrammyrat Myradov, executive director of Turkmenistan’s presidential state agency for management and use of hydrocarbon resources, will participate in the conference - the Vilnius Energy Security Conference 2007: Responsible Energy for Responsible Partners - in the Lithuanian capital on Wednesday and Thursday.

French President Nicolas Sarcozy will not attend the event because he will be visiting Russia on these days. Russia delegated Ambassador Boris Tsepov despite the fact that the invitation was sent to President Vladimir Putin.

Agenda of the two-day conference organized by Lithuanian and Polish presidents, Valdas Adamkus and Lech Kaczynski, includes signing of two five-country agreements concerning cooperation among companies and ministries of Lithuania, Poland, Ukraine, Azerbaijan and Georgia implementing the project of the pipeline Odessa-Brody-Plotsk-Gdansk.

It is expected to be the last step for launching the alternative project to Russia’s oil supply. Odessa-Brody-Plotsk-Gdansk is planned to be the first pipeline to link the Caspian Sea and the Black Sea regions with countries of the Baltic Sea region and become the new way of oil transit to Europe.

As the BNS reported the accident of Scandinavian Airlines’ (SAS) airplane Dash 8-400 in Denmark earlier this month was caused by corrosion of the hydraulic cylinder, which unfolds chassis, Danish investigators found.

The BNS informs that SAS said that the Lithuanian Aircraft Accident and Incident Commission was yet to present its conclusion concerning the emergency landing of the same type of SAS airplane at the Vilnius airport in mid-September.

Flights with all 27 Dash 8-400 airplanes operated by the SAS group have been suspended. Certain chassis parts were replaced in all of SAS aircrafts without reference to defects found.

According to BNS the completion of technical examination of all SAS planes Dash 8-400 should be completed by the end of the week.

It should be noted that the SAS crash landing in Vilnius airport was the most serious incident in Lithuania’s civil flight since 1990, reigning independence.

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”.

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.