Lithuanian foreign minister calls for stronger sanctions against Minsk

October 16, Pozirk. Latvia and Lithuania should continue to build up sanctions pressure on Russia and Belarus, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said at a meeting with his Latvian counterpart Krišjānis Kariņš, according to the Baltic news portal Delfi.

Landsbergis also called for bilateral cooperation in tackling the migration crisis on the countries’ frontier with Belarus.

In August, Lithuania closed the Šumskas and Tverečius checkpoints on the border with its eastern neighbor, citing the lack of equipment for scanning truck trailers and security concerns, including Wagner mercenaries.

The Lithuanian interior ministry later suggested closing two more crossings, Lavoriškės and Raigardas, but Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė said the government would not do so in the immediate future.

On August 28, interior ministers of Poland and the Baltic States agreed on criteria to close their borders with Belarus. These include an armed incident or other serious incidents threatening their national security, as well as a surge in illegal migration from the country.

The migration crisis at the Belarusian-European border began in the spring of 2021.