Lithuania Sends EU Letter with List of Demands Regarding Belarus
Lithuania has sent a letter to the European Union outlining a series of demands concerning Belarus, including assistance in repatriating stranded trucks and the imposition of additional sanctions against the official Minsk over incidents involving balloons that violated the Belarusian-Lithuanian border.
The heads of two Lithuanian ministries—Foreign Affairs and Transport — Kęstutis Budris and Juras Taminskas, have appealed to the European Commission for help in returning trucks stuck in Belarus.
The Lithuanian authorities also demanded additional sanctions against the official Minsk due to incidents with balloons that breached the Belarusian-Lithuanian border.
In the letter, Lithuanian officials asked the EU to «develop and present a consistent EU action plan to assist European carriers in Belarus, as well as to address the security issue on the Lithuanian-Belarusian border related to the use of unmanned aerial vehicles, including balloons.»
Lithuania called on European Commissioners to «demand at the EU level the full and unconditional release of European carriers and their assets, illegally held on the Belarusian side.»
Vilnius also proposed that the European Commission support the new sanctions against the Belarusian authorities proposed by Lithuania. According to LRT, the sanctions envisage new measures against officials in Minsk.
Earlier, Telegraf.news reported that the head of the Lithuanian National Association of Road Hauliers (Linava), Eirlandas Mikenas, arrived in Belarus to personally assess the situation with the trucks that were unable to return to Lithuania after the border opening.
Meanwhile, the Belarusian authorities continue to insist that it is no longer possible to resolve the situation without the participation of diplomats. Recently, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko stated that the Belarusian Foreign Ministry must secure a meeting with Lithuania to «resolve this situation.»
He also instructed the head of the Belarusian Security Council, Alexander Volfovich, to personally meet with the drivers of the Lithuanian trucks, which he did.