MINSK, 26 September (BelTA) - Official Minsk calls on Lithuania to step back from the brink of the abyss and return to constructive cooperation before it is too late, Belarusian Minister of Foreign Affairs Maksim Ryzhenkov said in an article published by SB. Belarus Segodnya newspaper, BelTA learned.
"Belarusians are very patient and friendly people. There is a clear understanding in Minsk that it is necessary to step back from the brink of the abyss and return to constructive cooperation, before it is too late. Moreover, the Lithuanian side needs to take these steps today, because in many areas both in the economy, logistics and in the field of interpersonal contacts, we can simply approach the point of no return. History will not forgive us for this," the minister said in the article .
Maksim Ryzhenkov noted that Minsk has repeatedly conveyed a message to the Lithuanian side that is is ready for consultations with Vilnius on the restoration of normal good-neighborly interaction. "We are ready to resume contacts between the border and special services, sectoral departments, the ministries of foreign affairs. We can start working through MPs, any authorized Lithuanian delegations. We are ready to develop a roadmap to unblock cooperation in certain areas, on the principles of respect for the sovereignty and independence of Belarus and its right to its own path of development in cooperation with partners," he said.
The minister also emphasized that Belarusians and Lithuanians have nothing to fight over in their common history, either from the times of living together in the same state at different stages and up to the present day. "Indeed, at the end of the 20th century, the foreign policy priorities of our countries diverged. At the same time, this did not prevent us from building relations on the principles of respect for the right of each state to accede to international political, economic and defensive unions, without violating the atmosphere of good-neighborliness and trust," the Belarusian minister of foreign affairs said.
Belarus continues to consistently adhere to this position in bilateral relations today. "However, the politicians in power in Vilnius have chosen, either on their own or at the behest of third parties, a different path, the goal of which is to change Belarus’ political course. Obviously, this goal is absolutely unattainable, since it does not have the main component - the support of the Belarusian people. At the same time, Lithuania itself bears huge expenses as it continues this senseless confrontation," Maksim Ryzhenkov noted.
According to him, the annual direct losses of the Lithuanian economy from the severance of ties with Belarus are estimated at almost $1 billion: "This is not the limit! Among the most significant consequences are a catastrophic blow to the transit industry of Lithuania, the Klaipeda port and Lithuanian Railways, a reduction in Lithuanian exports, a sharp deterioration in the economic situation of enterprises that worked in cooperation with Belarusian partners in various industries, and the loss of the tourism business."
Businessmen, who ran profitable investment projects in Belarus, have been affected too. The matter is also about the loss of people-to-people contacts and the termination of joint cultural, scientific, educational and sports projects.
"The situation is extremely abnormal. Lithuanian residents, many of whom frequently travel to Belarus without visas, sincerely do not understand what is going on and why the Lithuanian leadership needs all this," Maksim Ryzhenkov stated. “We are not sitting idly by in the current situation. Belarus has been forced to diversify its economic ties and has been very successful in this. The Lithuanian service-based economy may suffer consistent long-term losses and accumulate them. Sooner or later, compensation payments to the damaged sectors of the Lithuanian economy will simply run out. It will be difficult to hide the consequences."
"Belarus is still interested to engage in a normal equal dialogue with Lithuanians, despite all this senseless and absolutely unjustified pressure, for the sake of our peoples," the minister said.
Many people also question the fact whether Lithuania has a responsible political elite, he said. Minsk hopes that the results of the parliamentary elections in October this year will create conditions to restore the Belarusian-Lithuanian dialogue. "The outcomes of elections in a number of European states suggests that people are growing unhappy with the EU eastern policy. The Lithuanian people may take this path too," he said.
Maksim Ryzhenkov urged Lithuanian residents to take a calm and rational look into the situation and speak up in favor of the civilized dialogue with neighbors. "If you still have the opportunity to openly express your opinion. This will allow overcoming all the negative aspects of the absurd confrontation with Belarusians imposed by your politicians," he said. “As far as priority measures are concerned, we could jointly outline ways of resolving the issues of migration, de-escalating military tension, cooperation between the security agencies, resuming the transfer of pensions and allowances, and health rehabilitation, including for persons with chronic diseases and disabled children. Our common interest is to restart normal passenger and cargo traffic and mobility and the transit of goods, including such important humanitarian items as food, medicines and fertilizers."
According to the minister, the two countries could also return to such issues as restart of educational and cultural exchanges, joint scientific programs, further reconstruction of border checkpoints, implementation of environmental friendly projects, cooperation in the energy sector, creation of joint production facilities and, most importantly, regular people-to-people contacts between Belarusians and Lithuanians.
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