November 6, Pozirk. Minsk has indicated that it will not allow Lithuanian trucks stranded in Belarus out of the country, according to a statement by the foreign ministry’s spokesman Rusłan Varankoŭ.
He said Lithuania made a unilateral decision to close the border with Belarus, and therefore Minsk is not responsible for the decision’s “negative consequences.”
In late October, Vilnius closed the border crossings in Medininkai and Šalčininkai — the only two checkpoints that were handling all cross-border traffic between Lithuania and Belarus — citing an influx of cigarette-smuggling balloons.
Around 2,000 Lithuanian trucks remain stranded in Belarus, and Lithuanian transport companies have been pressing their government to resolve the situation.
“Many drivers have been living in their truck cabins for a week, unable to return to Lithuania or continue working,” said the LINAVA National Association of Road Carriers.
Minsk has also banned Lithuanian trucks from crossing into Poland and Latvia, insisting that they use only Lithuanian checkpoints.
According to LINAVA, transport companies stand to lose around €70 million during the month, and the closure could last even longer.
Varankoŭ “strongly urged” the Lithuanian authorities to reopen the border crossings for citizens, vehicles and cargoes.
On November 5, Lithuanian Prime Minister Inga Ruginienė said that the Lithuanian authorities were negotiating the return of the trucks. Vilnius will make every effort to ensure that the Lithuanian trucks are back, she said. However, she added that the border will remain closed.
