Lithuania Citizenship
I read your article (Oct. 30) about the withdrawal of Russian troops from the Baltic states with great interest. The article was objective, but I was surprised to find one rather serious inaccuracy.
You write: “After breaking with Moscow, all three countries wrote citizenship laws that requires terms of residency and a language test, which few Russians could pass. As non-citizens, the migrants cannot vote.”
According to the Lithuanian citizenship law, everyone permanently residing in Lithuania as of Nov. 3, 1989, regardless of nationality, was able to receive Lithuanian citizenship without any preconditions or any waiting period. All they had to do was to express a desire for citizenship within a two-year period. In the meantime, they were allowed to participate in all Lithuanian elections.
Most Russians and Poles living in Lithuania have taken advantage of Lithuanian’s liberal citizenship law and have become Lithuanian citizens. For example, in the Salcininkai region, which is 79.6% Polish, 9.4% Lithuanian and 5.8% Russian, Lithuanian citizenship has been accepted by 90.1% of the population. In the Ignalina region, which is 39.4% Russian, 39.2% Lithuanian and 7.5% Polish, citizenship has been accepted by 93.5% of the population.
ARNOLDAS MILUKAS
First Secretary
Lithuanian Embassy
Washington
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