{"id":165589,"date":"2025-11-25T18:42:03","date_gmt":"2025-11-25T15:42:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/165589\/"},"modified":"2026-03-09T20:10:49","modified_gmt":"2026-03-09T20:10:49","slug":"belarusian-foreign-minister-dismisses-lithuanias-concern-about-border-tensions-as-hysteria","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/165589\/","title":{"rendered":"Belarusian foreign minister dismisses Lithuania\u2019s concern about border tensions as hysteria"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

November 25, <\/strong>Pozirk.<\/em><\/strong> Belarusian Foreign Minister Maksim Ry\u017eanko\u016d, after a meeting with his Russian counterpart in Moscow on November 25, described Lithuania\u2019s concerns about border tensions with Belarus as hysteria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf these politicians listened to the opinions of their citizens and their jobs depended on that, they would have urgently entered into negotiations with the Belarusian side. . . to settle the whole stratum of relations related to the Belarusian-Lithuanian border,\u201d he is quoted as saying by the foreign ministry\u2019s press office.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tensions between Minsk and Vilnius have been heightened by the ongoing impasse over Lithuanian trucks stranded in Belarus and by repeated incursions into Lithuania by cigarette-smuggling weather balloons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minsk has insisted on a meeting of diplomats to resolve these issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On November 24, Vilnius summoned a Belarusian diplomat to deliver a note of protest over what it described as a renewed wave of hybrid attacks. The protest followed unauthorized weather-balloon flights that forced Vilnius International Airport to temporarily restrict air traffic on November 20 and again on November 23\u201324.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition, Vilnius condemned Minsk\u2019s refusal to release more than 1,200 Lithuanian trucks stranded on Belarusian territory, calling it \u201ca deliberate seizure of property and a gross violation of universally recognized norms of international law.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The trucks had entered Belarus before Lithuania closed the border in late October and remain parked in designated holding areas even after Lithuania reopened the Medininkai\u2013Kamienny \u0141oh and \u0160al\u010dininkai\u2013Bieniakoni checkpoints on November 20.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLet the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ours and Lithuanian, meet to resolve the situation,\u201d Alaksandar \u0141uka\u0161enka told Alaksandar Valfovi\u010d, state secretary of the Security Council, today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last week, Minsk proposed consultations between the countries\u2019 foreign ministries to create a mechanism ensuring stable border-crossing procedures and preventing future closures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So far, there have been no reports that Vilnius has accepted the proposal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vilnius might be reluctant to accept the invitation because Lithuania limited official contacts with Minsk after what it called rigged presidential election of 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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