Belarus expecting 40-percent decrease in Lithuania-bound truck traffic

February 29, Pozirk. The Belarusian State Border Committee is expecting a 40-percent reduction in daily cargo traffic between Belarus and Lithuania, its press office said ahead of the closure of two border checkpoints on March 1.

The move will cause a significant traffic increase at Medininkai (Kamienny Łoh on the Belarusian side) and Šalčininkai (Bieniakoni) border crossings, it noted.

Over the past day, Lithuanian border and customs officers processed only 32 percent of the usual number of trucks at four border crossings, with Lavoriškės (Katłoŭka) and Raigardas (Pryvałka), the checkpoints to be closed, accounting for 13 percent.

Vilnius announced the closure on February 21, citing national security, smuggling and international sanctions compliance as the reasons.

Only two of six checkpoints will remain open at the shared border between Lithuania and Belarus.