“So far, I see no need to lift the emergency because it really helps us make decisions with the help of the army. The army needs this situation to exist,” Kondratovic told reporters.
The minister also said the measures caused no extra inconvenience to residents and allowed authorities to “respond quickly and appropriately”.
The Government declared the emergency on 9 December after dozens of smuggling balloons crossed the border from Belarus in recent months, repeatedly disrupting air traffic. Officials said the weather balloons, used to carry cigarettes, pose a threat to Lithuania’s national security.
The declaration allows closer coordination between agencies and the deployment of military units to assist police and strengthen investigations into airborne smuggling.
Separately, hundreds of trucks registered in Lithuania and other European Union countries remain stuck at the Belarus border, held back since November by the regime of President Alexander Lukashenko after Lithuania closed its last two border checkpoints with Belarus for nearly a month.
Hauliers and their association, Linava, have urged the Government to act urgently and have staged protests to demand the trucks’ return.