Answer by Spokesperson of Belarusian Foreign Ministry R.Varankou to question from BelTA on negotiations between Belarus and Lithuania

BelTA: Two days ago, the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs invited Lithuania to hold talks between the two foreign ministries to explore ways of resolving the situation on the Belarusian-Lithuanian border. Has there been any response?

R.Varankou: So far, we have not received any reply from the Lithuanian Ministry of foreign affairs to our proposal.

Instead, the Lithuanian side has suggested holding a meeting early next week at the level of deputy heads of the two countries’ border services to discuss combating cross-border crime.

This initiative is fully in line with what Minsk has been proposing to Vilnius for the past few years: cooperation on border protection and border-crossing control. And of course, we welcome it!

However, such cooperation does not address the issue of reopening the crossing points that Lithuania closed unilaterally, nor does it restore the movement of people, vehicles, and goods through them.

Let me once again stress that, given the complexity of the matter, a solution is only possible at the political and diplomatic level – which is exactly what the people of Belarus, Lithuania, and other countries, including EU member states, expect from us. The Belarusian side is ready for this.

But there is also another, simpler option that requires no talks at all: Lithuania can simply reverse its unilateral decision to close the border.

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