Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has given the green light for Lithuanian cargo vehicles to leave Belarus, according to the state news agency Belta.
After reviewing appeals from Lithuanian and Polish carriers, Lukashenko decided to allow trucks with Lithuanian license plates to depart, the agency reported Monday. Vehicles will be released once carriers pay storage fees, which Belta said are “several times lower” than the 120 euros per day previously set by Minsk.
The Belarusian State Customs Committee, cited by Belta, said more than 1,900 trucks and trailers will be allowed to leave Belarusian territory for Lithuania “in accordance with the law”. Vehicles registered in Lithuania but owned by Polish carriers will also be permitted to depart for Poland.
Belta added that customs authorities have begun processing the releases, and the Belarusian State Customs Committee has proposed to Lithuanian customs officials measures to increase border crossing capacity.
Erlandas Mikėnas, president of Lithuania’s national road carriers’ association Linava, later confirmed he has received official confirmation that the detained trucks will be able to leave once they pay the parking fees.
However, he added, the fees are still higher than expected and many companies may not be able to afford them.
“The official confirmation is that the vehicles have been released and we have received parking rates from Beltamozhservice [an EU-sanctioned Belarusian company that manages parking lots], which disappointed the carriers,” Mikėnas told BNS on Monday.
“If 50 percent of all companies are able to pay, it will be very good,” he said.
The parking rates quoted by Mikėnas are 47-48 euros per day for trucks with trailers and 16 euros for trailers alone.
Lithuanian trailers have been stranded in Belarus for around 120 days.
Possible congestion
Talking to LRT RADIO earlier on Monday, Mikėnas also warned of potential congestion at the border once the vehicles are released.
“There are also questions about how they will enter the Republic of Lithuania once such a volume of vehicles is released,” he said. “By our calculations, current throughput capacity means we could be stuck at the border for another month.”
The Belarusian state news agency Belta reported Friday that Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko intends to resolve the issue shortly, with the return process expected to begin Monday.
Lukashenko also suggested the 120-euro daily parking fee introduced late last year could be reduced. According to Belta, carriers would be able to retrieve their vehicles after paying a “symbolic parking fee”, likely set at a “European rate”.
Minsk blocked Lithuanian trucks from returning home in early November after Lithuania closed its border following incidents involving contraband balloons from Belarus. Most vehicles were diverted to special lots charging 120 euros per day, with authorities previously warning of possible confiscation for nonpayment.
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