MINSK, 19 November (BelTA) - Lithuania should not have closed its border with Belarus, a decision that has only led to chaos, said Remigijus Žemaitaitis, the leader of the Dawn of Nemunas political party, which is part of the ruling coalition, Lithuanian media report.
“If I were the Prime Minister, I would not have done such things. As Prime Minister, I would have first invited the carriers, told them we have such a problem, and that we are planning to close the border,” Remigijus Žemaitaitis said.
“Then, at the lower level of the diplomatic corps, we would have discussed it with Belarusian officials, because the agreement between the countries on information exchange is still in effect, and there is a so-called neutral zone where our officers can meet. The third point is the work of law enforcement agencies in combating smuggling,” the party leader added.
Remigijus Žemaitaitis also believes that the Lithuanian government lacks serious specialists and advisors who could provide recommendations to the prime minister. “As a result, they have created chaos for us,” he said.
On 29 October, the Lithuanian government decided to close the border checkpoints on the Lithuanian-Belarusian border for one month. Traffic through the Šalčininkai (Benyakoni) checkpoint was completely closed, while the operations of the Medininkai (Kamenny Log) checkpoint were limited to exceptions.
On Tuesday, 18 November, Lithuanian Prime Minister Inga Ruginienė stated that the National Security Commission had recommended that the government considered the possibility of reopening the border with Belarus at its session on Wednesday.
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