The Belarusian Foreign Ministry said that statements by Lithuanian officials about a ban on Lithuanian trucks returning from Belarus are unfounded. The comment was published by the ministry’s press service on November 8 on its official Facebook account.
The ministry said it was surprised by the “baseless statements” made by Lithuanian officials about a supposed ban on the return of Lithuanian trucks from Belarus.
“Belarus has not prohibited anyone or anything. The border was closed by the decision of the Lithuanian side, and it is Vilnius that bears responsibility for lifting it,” the statement said.
The ministry’s press service noted that “as soon as Lithuania lifts the restrictions, all trucks will be able to return home in order of a live queue.”
“It seems that instead of taking real steps to resolve the situation they themselves created, the Lithuanian authorities prefer to mislead their own carriers and drivers, trying to shift responsibility onto Belarus,” the ministry added.
The Belarusian side expressed hope for “the early restoration of normal border operations and constructive bilateral relations.”
On November 8, Inga Ruginienė visited the border with Belarus and stated that the Belarusian side was blocking the return of Lithuanian trucks.
“Regarding the trucks stranded in Belarus, we are seeking the opening of an evacuation corridor that would allow them to return to Lithuania. We have submitted such a proposal to the Belarusian side, but it is currently blocking the process. According to our data, about 1,000 Lithuanian trucks may now be in Belarus. Lithuania is ready to receive them back, but we again urge all carriers to responsibly assess the risks of traveling to Belarus. We have known for years what we are dealing with,” the prime minister said.
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Lithuania closed its border checkpoints with Belarus until November 30 in response to the flights of meteorological balloons from Belarus that disrupted airport operations. The passage of certain categories of people is permitted only through the Medininkai crossing. The Belarusian government has banned trucks with Lithuanian registration from exiting through Poland and Latvia.