VILNIUS, August 11. /TASS/. Lithuania is ready to grant political asylum to Belarusian presidential candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya who left Belarus on Tuesday, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda said on Tuesday.

"Lithuania is ready to grant asylum to the representative of the Belarusian opposition [Tikhanovskaya] and her family until she takes a decision about her further political and personal activities," the presidential press service quoted him as saying.

According to the press service, the president had a telephone conversation with Tikhanovskaya and asked her about her plans for the future. "She thanked Lithuania for support and attention," it said.

Tikhanovskaya and Maria Moroz, her campaign manager, left Belarus for Lithuania earlier on Tuesday. According to Lithuanian Foreign Minister Linas Linkevicius, a national one-year visa was granted to Tikhanovskaya. Tikhanovskaya and Moroz arrived in Lithuania with their children.

The Lithuanian president stressed that his country "is always ready to give shelter to forces striving for freedom and democracy."

Lithuanian Interior Minister Rita Tamasuniene said earlier the country expected a growth in applications for asylum from Belarusian opposition activists.