Lithuania officials stress importance of crisis management

The terror threat level remains low in Lithuania, however, the country should reestablish its crisis management center, Lithuanian high officials said on Wednesday.

The center was dismantled in 2008 and its activities were distributed among several separate institutions.

"As we were informed by the state's security department, the risk level remains low. Nevertheless, some persons are being monitored due to their potential connections," Arturas Paulauskas, chairman of the national security and defense committee in Lithuanian parliament, was quoted as saying by ELTA news agency.

"We have no facts or news about Lithuanian individuals fighting in Syria. However, it is very important to exchange information, and this is happening more actively now," Paulauskas added.

Funding from the national budget should be increased for security issues, he added. In his words, additional 2 million euros (2.13 million U.S. dollars) was needed for the state's security department, as well as at least 800,000 euros for Lithuanian police anti-terrorist operations unit, Aras.

Meanwhile, Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite expressed her support for the initiative to reestablish the crisis management center, but did not agree that additional funding was the main issue.

"It is not about money; it is about intelligence, competence, and knowing what to do," Grybauskaite told reporters at Pabrade military training area, where she was attending a NATO military exercise on Wednesday.

According to the head of state, activities of security institutions should be better coordinated in order to effectively manage and prevent any terrorist attack.

Earlier this week, the Lithuanian government called for reopening the country's crisis management center in order to implement more effective counter-terrorism measures. Endit