The Head of State points out that the disclosure of confidential information could be detrimental to the interests of the State.
This was already reported on Saturday by the daily Lietuvos rytas. According to sources in Lietuvos rytas, the information brought and provided by Anušauskas himself to the members of the SDC was marked for restricted use. Moreover, the windowless basement is not the place where heads of state go to discuss things so that they can be immediately posted on Facebook.
"Each institution has its own classification markings - a restricted marking, a confidentiality marking. And they have to be respected. The National Defence Council is one of these institutions - a very important institution where all the leaders of the country come together to discuss the most important security issues. That is why decisions must be taken in institutions, not in social networks or on Facebook," Nausėda told reporters on Monday.
Nausėda reacted when asked about the divergent positions of the Presidency and the Ministry of National Defence (MND). According to the MoD, the information disclosed by Anušauskas last week was not secret. At the time, Nausėda had previously stated that the Minister had published restricted material.
Two sources familiar with the situation also indicated to Elta that the military advice presented to the members of the SDC, the details of which were subsequently made public by Mr Anušauskas, is indeed restricted information.
The President also reacted to Anušauskas' arguments that such information should be made public.
"I understand that there may be a desire to inform the public, and that is what we have always advocated - that the public should be informed. However, if disclosed, there is some information which could cause damage to the state," the Head of State said.
"As far as I know, there is an appeal to the General Prosecutor's Office on this issue, and I think they will also be able to assess the legal aspects of this problem. Then we will see what the conclusions will be," he explained, referring to the appeal to prosecutors by Agnė Širinskienė, the elder of the Mixed Group of MPs in Parliament.
Nausėda does not say whether he trusts Anušauskas
Gitanas Nausėda does not answer the question of whether he still trusts Minister of National Defence Arvydas Anušauskas, whom he had criticised for the publication of information about the purchase of German tanks.
"All I can say at the moment is what I said - I hope that the Minister will draw the necessary conclusions, and I think we have room to work. But let's wait for the General Prosecutor's Office's assessment," the President said when asked by journalists whether he trusted Anušauskas.
ELTA recalls that last Monday, after a meeting of the Council for National Defence, Minister of National Defence Arvydas Anušauskas hinted that a letter of intent would be signed with German manufacturers for the acquisition of tanks in the near future.
However, Anušauskas was strongly criticised for his public statements. Questions have been raised about the transparency of such decisions, bilateral relations with the US and Germany, and Lithuania's negotiating power. President Gitanas Nausėda, who chairs the SDC, stressed that the Minister of National Defence had published restricted information, which was agreed not to be made public.
Agnė Širinskienė, the elder of the Mixed Group of the Seimas, addressed the prosecutor's office about the details the Minister of National Defence discussed publicly.
However, the Ministry of National Defence (MND) claims that the information published by Anušauskas on the purchase of German tanks was not secret.
