Lithuania’s interior minister-designate, Martynas Katelynas, said Tuesday he favours paying into the European Union’s migration solidarity mechanism instead of accepting relocated migrants, arguing that such an approach would help avoid public tensions.
“I personally believe it is better to pay and not provoke society, because public sensitivity is a very important issue in the current geopolitical situation. I would support paying for all of them,” Katelynas told lawmakers in the parliamentary group of the opposition Homeland Union-Lithuanian Christian Democrats.
He stressed, however, that he could not promise such a decision would be made next year.
“I’m not making promises. I’m stating my personal position. Whether it can be implemented remains to be seen,” he said.
Under the EU solidarity mechanism, Lithuania has agreed to relocate 58 migrants currently in Cyprus and pay 1.4 million euros instead of accepting the remaining share allocated to the country.
