Artūras Paulauskas, chairman of the committee, said after the meeting that the panel would again turn to the government with a request to give more money for these needs. He said the economic crisis caused a dramatic decrease in spending on safety but refused to give any examples.
The head of the parliamentary committee has noted that many Lithuanian embassies are based in buildings that are unsuitable in terms of safety.
Foreign Minister Linas Linkevičius has emphasized that safe communication is important not only among diplomatic missions but also among state institutions, stressing the need for more cooperation.
Gediminas Grina, director general of the State Security Department, says that full safety is impossible. In his words, diplomats are updated on possible threats but safe communication can only be ensured with more funding.
The discussion on safety of diplomatic communication follows a scandal that erupted this summer when secret recordings of telephone conversations between Lithuanian diplomats were uploaded on youtube.com. The scandal led to recall of ambassadors to Hungary and Azerbaijan, Renatas Juška and Artūras Žurauskas.
