Local rules need to be explained to refugees, president's advisor says

"Cultural norms" and laws will have to be explained to refugees who will be resettled in Lithuania, says Lithuanian president's chief foreign policy adviser Renaldas Vaisbrodas.

Once refugees arrive in Lithuania, it is important that they feel included and are explained how the country operates, based on what principles it functions and what are the values that must be observed, Vaisbrodas told Žinių Radijas on Tuesday.

Commenting on the New Year's Eve events in Cologne, Germany, where some refugees are suspected of sexual assaults against women, Vaisbrodas suggests that the issue to focus on is why security services failed to cope with the situation.

"What happened in Cologne is a clear example that necessary measures to ensure security were not undertaken. I would not emphasise the issue of refugees, I would focus on the importance to enforce existing rules followed by the public," said Vaisbrodas.