Poland plans to reopen two border crossings with Belarus on Monday, while Belarusian officials say all remaining Lithuanian trucks stranded near the border have been moved to designated parking areas.
Poland’s Interior and Administration Ministry has drafted a plan to reopen the Kuźnica and Bobrowniki crossings on November 17, the news outlet Nashaniva.com reported. The reopening had been delayed at Lithuania’s request. Some restrictions will remain in place.
Wiesław Szczepański, a senior Interior Ministry official, told Polish Radio that both crossings would resume operations Monday.
“The main reasons are economic,” he said. “We are seeing increasing traffic at the border, and on the other hand, fewer attempts by migrants to act aggressively or carry out attacks. In addition, the border is now thoroughly reinforced, both with perimeter security and a physical fence.”
The Bobrowniki crossing will reopen to passenger vehicles and buses. Cargo trucks will be allowed through only if they are registered in EU member states, European Free Trade Association countries that participate in the European Economic Area, or Switzerland. The Kuźnica crossing will reopen solely to passenger cars.
Belarus moves Lithuanian trucks to guarded lots
Belarus’ State Customs Committee told the state-run news agency Belta that by the end of Wednesday all Lithuanian trucks that had been lined up along access roads to the Kamenny Log and Benyakoni checkpoints were moved into specially designated, customs-guarded parking areas.
According to the committee, 1,243 Lithuanian trucks are currently parked at these sites: 454 in Berestovitsa, 193 in Benyakoni, 379 in Kotlovka, 154 in Kamenny Log and 63 in Smorgon. Drivers are not required to remain inside their vehicles, the agency said.
Belarusian media had previously reported that more than 220 Lithuanian trucks, including around 140 parked along roads near the border, faced the threat of maximum administrative penalties if drivers failed to comply with orders to proceed to assigned locations.
On Monday, Belarus’ President Alexander Lukashenko said Lithuania-registered trucks would be charged 120 euros per day for parking, and vehicles could be confiscated if the fee is not paid.
Minsk postpones technical talks
Minsk has proposed postponing the planned technical negotiations with Vilnius on the return of trucks stuck in Belarus to Lithuania until next Tuesday, an adviser to Lithuanian Prime Minister Inga Ruginienė said Friday.
“The latest information today confirms once again that the Belarusian regime is only pretending to want to solve the problems of our and European haulers who are being held hostage,” Ignas Algirdas Dobrovolskas said in a statement to the media.
He later clarified to BNS that “instead of negotiating, for example, tomorrow, they are proposing Tuesday”.
Giedrius Mišutis, the spokesman for Lithuania’s State Border Guard Service who is leading the technical negotiations with Belarusian border guards, has refrained from commenting on Dobrovolskas’ statement.
Dobrovolskas continued that while there are “positive signs” of decreasing numbers of weather balloons, Belarus must immediately allow Lithuanian trucks to leave without any additional conditions.
Earlier on Friday, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Taurimas Valys said that there is ongoing communication with Belarus at the technical level, along with consultations with Lithuania’s strategic partners.
Newsletter
Every Friday morning.
