MINSK, 14 November (BelTA) - Erlandas Mikėnas, the head of the Lithuanian Association of Road Carriers (LINAVA), stated that Poland's recent decision to reopen two border crossings on the border with Belarus is a “low blow” to Lithuanian business, Lithuanian media report.
According to Erlandas Mikėnas, Lithuanian logistics will be completely destroyed if the Lithuanian authorities do not open the border with Belarus. “This is a low blow. The Poles always do this. I don’t know why Lithuania is acting so unwisely,” Erlandas Mikėnas commented on the situation.
“Do you understand the mistake Lithuania made by closing the border? Now the cargo flows are becoming unbalanced,” he said indignantly. “For many years, we have been trying to make Lithuania a transit country. We have built many terminals in Lithuania, and now our terminals are empty and, because the border is closed, cargo is going from Poland to Asia.”
LINAVA stated that if Lithuania does not find a way to restore its carriers' competitive advantage, it will be the end for Lithuanian logistics.
LINAVA Vice President Oleg Tarasov said that the decisions made by the Lithuanian authorities are destroying the industry. According to him, by opening the border crossing points, Poland will increase its border throughput capacity, and the entire cargo flow will pass through it, reducing the need to transport goods via Lithuania or Latvia.
In his words, cargo flow in Lithuania has already decreased significantly, and after Poland opens its border, Polish firms will take over the transportation of goods to Belarus and other countries currently handled by Lithuanian companies. “We don’t yet know what the throughput capacity of the Polish checkpoints will be, but the traffic will flow through Poland very quickly, and it automatically raises the question: what will be the need for the Baltic posts at all?” the LINAVA representative said.
In an official statement published earlier, LINAVA stated that the Lithuanian government's decision to close the border with Belarus has become a severe economic blockade for carriers. In a letter from LINAVA to Lithuanian Prime Minister Inga Ruginienė, it was stated that the current situation poses a serious threat to numerous jobs and the stability of the entire transport sector. The Lithuanian prime minister called the demands from Lithuanian carriers to open the border an “exaggerated emotional backdrop”. She also said that Lithuanian carriers should have “prepared for such situations in advance” and “assessed the risks themselves”.
According to a bill prepared by the Polish Ministry of the Interior and Administration, two border checkpoints with Belarus (Bobrowniki – Berestovitsa and Kuźnica Białostocka - Bruzgi) are planned to be reopened on 17 November. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk confirmed that these crossings will open at the beginning of next week. Deputy Minister of the Interior and Administration of Poland Wiesław Szczepański stated today that the main reason for opening the two border crossings with Belarus is the economic benefit.
On 29 October, the Lithuanian authorities closed the border with Belarus for one month. Traffic through the Šalčininkai (Benyakoni) border checkpoint was completely suspended, and the operation of the Medininkai (Kamenny Log) checkpoint was limited to exceptions.
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