OSHMYANY DISTRICT, 29 October (BelTA) – The situation is very serious and will not end well, a Belarusian driver who was denied entry at the Lithuanian border checkpoint Kamenny Log told BelTA.
“My friends, Finnish citizens with children, came here to meet their parents. I decided to give them a ride, but they weren’t allowed to enter the country, as only Lithuanian citizens and those with Lithuanian residence permits were allowed, no one else,” Yuri said. “I have an EU residence permit and can enter the EU through any country: Latvia, Lithuania and Poland. However, the Lithuanian government has banned travel, and people are now suffering.”
The man had to leave his friends with three children at the border. “One child is six months old, another girl just turned three, and the third is about 10-12 years old. They had to walk with a stroller across the border. After that, we took a taxi. Thank goodness that was at least possible. The situation is very serious, and I don't think anything good will come from it. People aren't to blame here,” Yuri concluded.
Igor decided to turn back at the border himself. “I needed to go to submit documents for a work permit card. They [Lithuanian border crossing personnel] asked me how I planned to return. I said the same way [I came in]. But they told me they wouldn't let me back in and I would need to return through Latvia or Poland,” he explained. “It was cheaper for me to turn back. I simply didn't have enough money to make such a long trip back.” Reflecting on the future, he said that all that remains is to wait for decisions from the Lithuanian authorities.
Oleg was traveling from Moscow to Kaliningrad. “I’m going home. It seems they’ll let people through, we should be able to get home. If they close the border, then we'll have to take a flight,” he said.
Following a meeting of the National Security Commission on 27 October, Lithuania announced that it would close its border with Belarus indefinitely. It was noted that the restrictions would not apply to diplomats and diplomatic bags. Furthermore, citizens of Lithuania and EU countries would be permitted to enter from Belarus. The border closure with Belarus would also not affect travelers transiting to and from Russia’s Kaliningrad Oblast. All other traffic will be halted. The final decision on the indefinite closure of the border with Belarus is expected to be made today, on 29 October, during a meeting of the Lithuanian government.
The State Border Committee of Belarus has not yet received official notification from the Lithuanian authorities regarding the operating procedures at the Lithuanian border checkpoints Medininkai (Kamenny Log on the Belarusian side) and Salcininkai (Benyakoni). As of 12:00, 1,580 trucks and 10 passenger cars were waiting to enter the EU through these crossings.
At the Lithuanian checkpoint Salcininkai (Benyakoni), no vehicles were allowed to enter the EU over the past 24 hours. A total of 720 trucks were waiting in line. At the Lithuaniain Medininkai (Kamenny Log) border crossing, 45 out of 500 trucks were admitted to the EU, while 860 vehicles were still waiting to enter the country.
Photos by Leonid Shcheglov/ BelTA
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