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Lithuania to actively participate in addressing EU's challenges of illegal migration: PM

Xinhua, April 23, 2015 Adjust font size:

Lithuania is considering assisting with illegal migration incidents on the Mediterranean Sea, a situation which is claiming thousands of lives every year, the country's prime minister Algirdas Butkevicius said on Wednesday.

The head of government obliged Lithuanian institutions to submit proposals on possible Lithuanian participation regarding assistance in dealing with the issue.

"The EU's resources allocated for rescue operations are drying out, therefore, we need to look for other ways to contribute," Butkevicius was quoted as saying in a statement.

The government might assign a helicopter and a crew to the State Border Guard Service for rescue operations on the Mediterranean Sea, BNS news agency reported, citing the prime minister's spokeswoman Evelina Butkute.

"Countries like Italy are currently having the highest burden and major costs, thus we must show our solidarity," Linas Linkevicius, Lithuania's minister of foreign affairs, said to ELTA news agency.

The European Council has called a special meeting in Brussels on April 23 to address the dramatic situation. Enditem