The President of Lithuania, Gitanas Nausėda, has said that the country will grant citizenship to the American ice dancer Allison Reed.
Such a statement from President Nausėda was made following the win of the bronze medal by the Lithuanian duo at the European Figure Skating Championships.
So far, the Lithuanian President Nausėda has rejected the request of Reed to be granted citizenship by way of exception twice, the Lithuanian National Television and Radio explains.
However, according to the latter, following the recent events, President Nausėda said that their approach towards granting Reed citizenship since the last time has changed, suggesting that they will grant her citizenship.
The American ice dancer Allison Reed and her partner Saulius Ambrulevičius, who competed at the European Figure Skating Championships, won bronze medals, with a performance that stunned the president too, who said that he watched the performance and liked it.
Have things changed since our last decision on her application? Yes, they have. It is an achievement that both the ice dancers and the whole of Lithuania can be proud of.
President Nausėda further said to the journalists that Reed now needs to submit a citizenship application to the relevant authorities and, at the same time, highlighted that her applications will be considered according to the current Lithuanian laws.
She needs to submit an application, and it will be considered according to our laws.
The double rejection for citizenship to Reed prevented the duo from taking part in the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. The Lithuanian National Television and Radio notes that back then, President Nausėda’s office justified the decision not to grant citizenship to Reed by saying that she had not demonstrated special merits to the country.
As for Reed, she said after the European championships that she still has to decide whether she wants to apply for Lithuanian citizenship again.
Reed stressed that she would decide on the matter only after the World Figure Skating Championships in Canada was over.
In line with the current rules that Lithuania has, the president of the country can grant citizenship by way of exception to foreigners who have integrated into the society and, most importantly, for special merits to the country. Activities that help to strengthen the identity of Lithuania and boost its influence in the world are defined as special merits.
