The Lithuanian government is planning to discuss and decide on Wednesday whether to reopen the border with Belarus, Prime Minister Inga Ruginiene said Tuesday.
“Today, after reviewing not only the numbers but also certain actions, the commission recommended that tomorrow’s cabinet meeting consider the possibility of reopening the two checkpoints we closed,” she said after Tuesday's meeting of the National Security Commission.
Reopening the border will be on the agenda of the cabinet meeting, she stressed.
According to Ruginienė, smuggler balloon numbers have been down this past week and Lithuanian airports experienced no disruptions. Moreover, the prime minister noted the efforts by law enforcement agencies to crack down on smugglers.
“Twenty-two pre-trial investigations into smuggling have already been launched, 30 searches were carried out yesterday, and five people were detained,” she said.
It will take one day to prepare for reopening the border, if the government decides to go ahead, and border crossing will be closed again if the threat level rises, according to Ruginienė.
She insisted that Poland's decision to reopen its border crossing points with Belarus on Monday had no impact on Lithuania’s plans.
“It had no impact at all, because when I called the Polish prime minister, I was not sure we would agree that they would delay, as they had already informed their citizens that they were reopening the borders, and they postponed the reopening because we spoke and I asked them to,” she said.
Asked whether the government is considering compensation for Lithuanian haulers whose trucks are stranded in Belarus, Ruginienė said this is not under discussion at the moment.
She did not comment on Tuesday's talks between Belarusian and Lithuanian border officers or on the Belarusian position.
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