Belarus said Wednesday it has submitted proposals to Lithuania on reopening their shared border. Minsk previously refused to open an evacuation corridor for Lithuanian trucks stranded on the Belarusian side until Lithuania agreed to reopen the border.
Belarusian Foreign Minister Maxim Ryzhenkov said he had received instructions from President Alexander Lukashenko on how to “speed up the process of restoring normal relations with the Lithuanian side to ensure proper functioning of the state border”.
He accused Lithuania of violating a number of bilateral agreements by deciding to close border crossings for a month in response to the recent surge of smuggling balloons, but added that Minsk remains ready for dialogue.
“We are focused on resolving this situation quickly. As this issue has gone beyond the competence of our border agencies, it was decided that further talks with the Lithuanian side will be conducted by the Foreign Ministry,” Ryzhenkov said in a statement released by the Belarusian Foreign Ministry.
“Relevant proposals have already been submitted to the Lithuanian side through authorised border services, and we are waiting for a response,” he added, without specifying the content of the proposals.
Prime Minister Inga Ruginienė later confirmed that the Belarusian government approached Vilnius.
“We have received a letter regarding the start of negotiations. We will evaluate the letter and make the appropriate decisions,” Ruginienė told reporters on Wednesday.
“We see positive signs, but we need to make sure that this is indeed the case. As soon as we are sure, we will immediately, here and now, open the borders and allow movement. But the borders are closed in order to control the hybrid attack with balloons,” she added.
Earlier Wednesday, Ruginienė’s adviser, Ignas Algirdas Dobrovolskas, said the head of the Belarusian border service had informed Vilnius that Minsk would not allow Lithuanian trucks to return home through the temporarily closed Medininkai and Šalčininkai crossings.
The national road carriers’ association Linava criticised the government’s handling of the situation, urging the start of “at least minimal diplomatic dialogue” with Minsk, the reopening of at least one border checkpoint, and measures to ensure the safety and evacuation of haulers. The group also said it was considering protest actions in Lithuania and Brussels.
Meanwhile, the interior minister reiterated earlier comments from the prime minister that carriers should weigh the risks of doing business with countries hostile to Lithuania.
Ruginienė said the border could be reopened once Lithuania sees a genuine willingness to cooperate from Belarus. Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys added that this could happen once Minsk stops escalating the situation by allowing smuggling balloons into Lithuanian airspace.
The Lithuanian government last week decided to close the Medininkai border crossing for one month, until November 30, with limited exceptions.
In retaliation, Minsk banned Lithuanian trucks located in Belarus from returning home, saying the ban would remain in place until the border is reopened. The vehicles have been moved to designated parking lots, where Belarusian authorities said they would be charged daily fees.
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