MINSK, 28 May (BelTA) - Belarus announced two Lithuanian diplomats as persona non grata for activities incompatible with diplomatic status, Anatoly Glaz, Head of the Information and Digital Diplomacy Office, Press Secretary of the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said as he answered the question whether the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs would respond to the expulsion of two Belarusian diplomats from Lithuania, BelTA has learned.
“We consider today's decision of Vilnius to expel the Belarusian diplomats as a completely unreasonable step. One logical explanation is that Lithuania deliberately raises the degree of escalation in relations with Belarus. It is very regrettable that as a result of such, I emphasize, proactive actions of the Lithuanian leadership, ordinary citizens on both sides of the border will suffer even more, as it would be difficult to solve consular and other vital issues, not to mention the freedom of movement, communication, contacts in mixed families and so on,” the Belarusian foreign ministry spokesman said.
“You can turn this around as much as you want, but in the actual history this step will be recorded as an unmotivated initiative of the Lithuanian side. Following the principle of reciprocity, we were forced to take mirror measures and declare two Lithuanian diplomats persona non grata for activities incompatible with the diplomatic status. They are asked to leave Belarus within seven days,” said Anatoly Glaz.
The Belarusian side urges the Lithuanian politicians to abandon the logic of confrontation and artificial tension in relations with their neighbors, which damages the interests of the citizens of both countries.
