Lithuania restores Armenian Genocide publications in state archives after removing them under pressure from Turkey

Publications dedicated to the Armenian Genocide have been restored to the website of Lithuania’s state archives, several days after they were quietly removed following pressure from the Turkish embassy and informal contacts attributed to Lithuania’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Sources in Lithuanian government circles confirmed on May 8 that all publications had been reinstated. “On May 8, information came from Lithuanian government circles that all publications dedicated to the Armenian Genocide had been restored to the archive’s website,” the statement read.

The removal came to light in early May, when ELTA, Lithuania’s national news agency, published an investigation by Gabriele Zhimantaite, journalist, later republished by LRT. lt, based on testimony from an archive employee.

Inga Zakshauskiene, head of the Chief Archival Officer of Lithuania, confirmed that an emergency meeting with representatives of the Turkish embassy took place on April 28, during which the archive was allegedly accused of politicizing the issue of the Armenian Genocide.

“Concern was expressed as to why the State Archives sees fit to publish and disseminate materials that may be regarded as political matters,” Zakshauskiene told ELTA.