Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya has canceled her planned visit to Armenia due to the Lithuanian government's failure to provide security abroad, Lithuanian Delfi portals wrote, citing Tikhanovskaya's advisor Denis Kuchinskis, APA reports.
"Yes, we were forced to make a difficult decision to cancel the long-planned and first-ever visit to Armenia to participate in the plenary session of the Eastern Partnership Assembly. This decision is related to the suspension of the use of special security services responsible for the security of heads of state abroad. We hoped that an exception would be made for countries with a high risk level, but unfortunately this did not happen," Kuchinskis said.
According to her, Tikhanovskaya's office does not criticize the Lithuanian government's decision and thanked the Lithuanian leadership for the support they provided.
The Lithuanian Foreign Ministry said that the country's embassy in Armenia was ready to provide Tikhanovskaya with all necessary assistance during the visit.
According to reports, since the beginning of October, Tikhanovskaya's personal security has been transferred from the security service of state leaders to the Criminal Police Bureau. The new body only monitors the security of individuals at certain risk.
According to unofficial data, Tikhanovskaya's 24-hour security under the previous scheme cost the Lithuanian budget about 1 million euros per year.
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