Belarusian border guards say some 2,500 lorries queuing at EU border

April 4, BPN. Some 2,500 heavy trucks were waiting to leave Belarus as of 2:00 p.m. Minsk time, the State Border Committee said.

More than 50 trucks queued at the Hryharoŭščyna checkpoint on the way to Latvia.

More than 1,620 trucks waited to enter Lithuania (Vidzy: over 30; Katłoŭka: over 200; Kamienny Loh: over 640; Beniakoni: over 500; Pryvałka: over 250).

There were more than 800 heavy trucks at Kazłovičy, the only open checkpoint on the way to Poland.

The Belarusian border guards have repeatedly accused their western counterparts of slow work. In their turn, the westerners explain the increased processing time by pointing at problems with illegal migration.

Problems with cargo traffic on the Polish-Belarusian border emerged soon after Belarus sentenced journalist Andrej Pačobut, of the embattled Union of Poles, to eight years in prison on charges widely regarded as politically motivated.

On February 10, Poland closed Bobrowniki, one of the two road checkpoints available for travelers. In retaliation, the Belarusian government restricted entry into Belarus for Polish lorries and tractor trucks.

Polish Interior Minister Mariusz Kamiński says that if Poczobut is released tomorrow, the Bobrowniki border crossing will be opened the day after tomorrow.