December 17, Pozirk. Lithuanian Seimas Speaker Juozas Olekas linked possible changes in Lithuania’s Belarus policy to the release of jailed dissidents and return of Lithuanian trucks stranded in Belarus as he spoke to LRT yesterday.
“We are talking to Belarus at a technical level and through our allies at a political level,” he said.
When asked whether Lithuania should adjust its policy toward Belarus following a shift in Washington’s approach, including the lifting of potash sanctions, Olekas said that while sanctions and pressure are producing some results, they remain inconclusive.
Vilnius is consulting with allies at both NATO and European Union to achieve the best possible outcome, Olekas added, noting that the ultimate goal is to prevent the regime in Minsk from feeling like a winner and to secure the release of jailed critics. In this situation, neither Lithuania nor other democratic European states can afford to lose, he added.
Commenting on yesterday’s statement by Deividas Matulionis, the Lithuanian president’s chief national security advisor, who linked potential transit of Belarusian potash fertilizers to deployment of additional US military forces in the country, Olekas noted that Seimas postponed the adoption of a resolution on the “hybrid attacks” from Belarus.
The politician said MPs decided to explore various options, stressing that security and economic growth can be achieved not only through a tough stance, but also through diplomacy.
Washington announced that it will be lifting sanctions on Belarusian potash fertilizers following the meeting between Aleksandar Łukašenka and John Coale, US special envoy to Belarus. Negotiations in Minsk on December 12 and 13 also resulted in the release of 123 designated political prisoners, including prominent opposition figures and politicians.
Two days ago, the US Treasury published the general license authorizing transactions involving the Belarusian Potash Company, potash giant Biełaruskalij and its subsidiary Agrorozkvit LLC.
