MINSK, 15 December (BelTA) - Lithuania is ready to hold negotiations with Belarus on border settlement at the level of ambassadors-at-large, Lithuanian media report citing a statement by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Baltic republic, Kęstutis Budrys.
"In order to resolve border issues, we propose dialogue at the level of Lithuania's special envoy ambassador, who would be tasked specifically with this objective,” the Lithuanian minister said.
Until now, Vilnius has refrained from political-level contacts with Minsk, believing that all disputed matters could be resolved at a technical level, as termed by Lithuanian authorities, i. e. at the level of relevant agencies, such as border services.
Lithuania unilaterally closed the border with Belarus at the end of October “due to the threat of smuggling”. The Medininkai and Šalčininkai checkpoints resumed operations on the night of 20 November. The Lithuanian National Road Carriers Association, for its part, stated that Vilnius should not have closed the border but rather detained smugglers with contraband on its own territory.
The Lithuanian State Security Department conducted a large-scale operation across different parts of the country on 2 December. As a result, goods worth approximately half a million euros were confiscated, and 10 individuals suspected of smuggling were detained. Prior to this, in November, there were also reports of several cases involving the detention of local residents for smuggling cigarettes using balloons.
On 8 December, Lithuania reported the detention of two local residents who had launched drones near Vilnius Airport. Due to this incident, operations at Vilnius Airport were suspended for 20 minutes.
On 9 December, the Lithuanian government declared a state of emergency in the country in response to meteorological balloons smuggling cigarettes.
On 10 December, Lithuanian truck drivers held a protest in Vilnius over trucks stranded in Belarus. They demanded that the government resolve the issue. The head of the National Lithuanian Road Carriers Association, Erlandas Mikėnas, had previously stated that, according to estimates from transport companies, losses since the beginning of the freight transport crisis had already reached nearly €100 million. He also mentioned the daily loss of income, as each truck generates revenue of around €10,000 per day.
"In order to resolve border issues, we propose dialogue at the level of Lithuania's special envoy ambassador, who would be tasked specifically with this objective,” the Lithuanian minister said.
Until now, Vilnius has refrained from political-level contacts with Minsk, believing that all disputed matters could be resolved at a technical level, as termed by Lithuanian authorities, i. e. at the level of relevant agencies, such as border services.
Lithuania unilaterally closed the border with Belarus at the end of October “due to the threat of smuggling”. The Medininkai and Šalčininkai checkpoints resumed operations on the night of 20 November. The Lithuanian National Road Carriers Association, for its part, stated that Vilnius should not have closed the border but rather detained smugglers with contraband on its own territory.
The Lithuanian State Security Department conducted a large-scale operation across different parts of the country on 2 December. As a result, goods worth approximately half a million euros were confiscated, and 10 individuals suspected of smuggling were detained. Prior to this, in November, there were also reports of several cases involving the detention of local residents for smuggling cigarettes using balloons.
On 8 December, Lithuania reported the detention of two local residents who had launched drones near Vilnius Airport. Due to this incident, operations at Vilnius Airport were suspended for 20 minutes.
On 9 December, the Lithuanian government declared a state of emergency in the country in response to meteorological balloons smuggling cigarettes.
On 10 December, Lithuanian truck drivers held a protest in Vilnius over trucks stranded in Belarus. They demanded that the government resolve the issue. The head of the National Lithuanian Road Carriers Association, Erlandas Mikėnas, had previously stated that, according to estimates from transport companies, losses since the beginning of the freight transport crisis had already reached nearly €100 million. He also mentioned the daily loss of income, as each truck generates revenue of around €10,000 per day.
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