Belarus Offers Lithuania 'Negotiation Table' Amid Balloon Smuggling Tensions
Belarus has called for talks with Lithuania to address “all accumulated issues” in their bilateral relations, a senior diplomat announced on Tuesday. The proposal comes amid threats from Vilnius to seize Belarusian state assets and impose further sanctions.
«We would like to discuss all the issues that have accumulated in our bilateral agenda at the negotiation table,» Belarusian Deputy Foreign Minister Ihar Sektara said in a statement carried by state media.
The offer from Minsk contrasts sharply with recent actions by the Lithuanian government, which has refused high-level talks and declared a nationwide state of emergency. The move was prompted by what Lithuania describes as persistent cross-border smuggling operations involving balloons arriving from Belarusian territory, which it says disrupt airport operations.
Justifying the emergency measures, the Lithuanian government stated that the continuous arrivals of contraband-carrying balloons pose a threat to civil aviation and have caused «significant financial losses.» The ongoing incidents have significantly heightened tensions between the two neighbors.