November 22, Pozirk. The Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned a Belarusian diplomat yesterday to hand a note of protest over “discriminatory actions against the Lithuanian carriers.”
The refusal to release Lithuanian trucks from Belarusian territory represents a “deliberate seizure of property and a gross violation of universally recognized norms of international law,” Vilnius stressed.
The Lithuanian foreign ministry demanded that Minsk immediately cease discriminatory actions, warning that Lithuania reserved the right to take appropriate legal action, demand compensation for the damage caused and take other countermeasures both at the national and European Union levels.
At least 1,265 Lithuania-registered trucks are stuck in Belarus after the border closure by Vilnius from October 29 to November 20. Minsk barred these cargo vehicles from leaving the country and ordered them moved to guarded parking sites. Vilnius, in turn, accused Belarus of escalation by seizing the vehicles and preventing their return.
The Medininkai–Kamienny Łoh and Šalčininkai–Bieniakoni border crossings resumed full operations two days ago, after Vilnius kept them closed since late October over incursions by cigarette-smuggling balloons from Belarus.
On the same day, Minsk proposed holding consultations between the Belarusian and Lithuanian foreign ministries to create a mechanism ensuring stable border-crossing procedures and preventing future closures.
The Lithuanian parliamentary opposition plans to summon Prime Minister Inga Ruginienė to a joint meeting to determine whether the government has a plan to address the crisis and to present its own proposals, MP Laurynas Kasčiūnas said yesterday.
