Lithuania bars Fico’s Moscow flight ahead of WWII commemorations

Lithuania will continue to deny Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico permission to use its airspace for a planned flight to Moscow for Second World War commemorations, a presidential national security aide said on April 21.

“I believe this is our consistent position. We certainly do not support the desire of states to improve relations with an aggressor state. Therefore, this is our very clear moral stance, which we are upholding,” LRT.lt quotes Matulionis as saying.

Lithuania’s Foreign Ministry said on April 20 that the country had not received an overflight request from Slovakia. However, the ministry did not specify whether a formal decision had been taken to block airspace access for Fico.

Fico expressed outrage over the weekend over the Baltic states’ refusal to allow him to use their airspace for the journey to Moscow.

The Slovak prime minister also travelled to Moscow a year ago to mark Russia’s Victory Day, despite calls from European officials to boycott the event. This year, he has said he will seek an alternative route.

Meanwhile, Ukraine has continued to urge sustained pressure on Russia and on April 20, thanked the Baltic states for their decision to block Fico’s flight through their airspace.

By Aghakazim Guliyev