April 22, Pozirk. Lithuanian Prime Minister Inga Ruginienė has linked potential rapprochement with Belarus to a demonstration of goodwill by Minsk, reiterating earlier demands by Lithuanian government officials.
“We are not talking about restoring the kind of relations or dialogue that existed many years ago before the war,” LRT quoted Ruginienė as saying. “We are talking about the possibility of normalising relations by exchanging certain technical details, as other countries do, but even that requires circumstances and conditions that the other side must fulfil.”
Her statement follows yesterday’s remarks by Deividas Matulionis, a senior aide to the Lithuanian president, who said Vilnius was not ruling out dialogue with Minsk at a “lower political level” provided the Belarusian authorities demonstrate goodwill.
Lithuania expects Minsk to provide long-term solutions to the tensions caused by cigarette-smuggling weather balloons, irregular migration and stranded trucks, Ruginienė stressed today. As soon as these conditions are met, Vilnius will be able to discuss “a meeting to exchange information,” she added.
John Coale, US special envoy for Belarus, called for political-level talks between Vilnius and Minsk last month. Coale urged both countries’ diplomats to start resolving existing issues and enable trade with the European Union and the US, including exports of Belarusian potash fertilizers.
On April 2, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda said that Minsk should demonstrate genuine efforts to normalize relations with Vilnius. He set out conditions for Lithuania to start considering dialogue with the regime in Minsk. These include an end to irregular crossings by third-country migrants via Belarus and to incursions of cigarette-smuggling balloons.
Minsk has been insisting on political-level contacts, yet Lithuania rejected direct diplomatic talks, having significantly downgraded official contacts after what it described as Belarus’ rigged 2020 presidential election.
Vilnius views the political negotiations with Minsk as an attempt to break the international isolation of Alaksandar Łukašenka’s regime and potentially pave the way for easing sanctions.
