EU – Baltic States, Legislation, Lithuania, Society

"We're in shock. Literally, in shock. The majority of us had hoped the Remain would win by a narrow majority," she told BNS on June 24th. "Nobody knows what will be next."

Lithuanians living in the UK are facing uncertainty over their status as London and Brussels will discuss it during the UK's withdrawal negotiations.

According to Asanaviciute, British Prime Minister David Cameron, who announced his resignation on Friday, said immigrants living in the country could feel safe for the next two years of negotiations with the EU.

But Tomas Matulionis, a Boston resident, says Lithuanians in Britain are facing "total" uncertainty.

Having lived in the UK for the last six years, Matulionis expressed his anger at Britain's decision to leave the EU, comparing pro-Brexiters with imperialists.

"Progressive people think differently, and people who still think about Britain's imperialist times, think otherwise," Matulionis told BNS. "It’s a spit in the face of all of us who came here and helped to build the economy. There's no nationalism here, just a conservative way of thinking of country people“.

The European Union will feel the consequences of Brexit in the short term but will find a common model of coexistence, Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite said.

"We respect the decision of the people of the United Kingdom. The United Kingdom is and will remain an important security and economic partner of Lithuania. In the short term, the European Union will feel the consequences of this decision but we will find a common model of EU-UK coexistence," the president said in a recorded statement issued by her press service.

"The European Union has survived serious challenges many times. Our responsibility is to restore people's confidence in the European Union and preserve what we have created through our common hard work," she said.