{"id":164391,"date":"2025-11-17T10:27:52","date_gmt":"2025-11-17T07:27:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/164391\/"},"modified":"2026-03-09T20:10:49","modified_gmt":"2026-03-09T20:10:49","slug":"lithuanian-belarusian-officials-to-hold-technical-contacts-on-border-issues","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/164391\/","title":{"rendered":"Lithuanian, Belarusian officials to hold \u201ctechnical contacts\u201d on border issues"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

November 17, Pozirk.<\/em><\/strong> Lithuanian officials are expected to meet with Belarusian counterparts on November 18 in an attempt to persuade Minsk to allow Lithuanian trucks stranded in Belarus to continue their journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an interview with LRT<\/em>, Deividas Matulionis described the meeting as \u201ctechnical contacts.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn essence, this is a problem created by the \u0141uka\u0161enka regime. These trucks have been taken hostage, and now they [Minsk] offer us negotiations. That is why I don\u2019t like the word \u2018negotiations.\u2019 Most likely, tomorrow we will have technical contacts with the Belarusian side.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A total of 1,265 Lithuania-registered trucks remain stranded in Belarus following the border closure by Vilnius on October 29.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Lithuanian government ruled to keep the shared border with Belarus closed until November 30 following numerous airspace violations by cigarette-smuggling balloons launched from Belarus. In response, Minsk banned Lithuanian trucks from leaving Belarus and directed them to special guarded parking lots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most of the vehicles are now concentrated near three checkpoints at the Belarusian\u2013Lithuanian border: 348 at Kat\u0142o\u016dka\u2013Lavori\u0161kes, 166 at Bieniakoni\u2013\u0160al\u010dininkai and 102 at Kamienny \u0141oh\u2013Medininkai. Another 429 trucks are parked near the Bierastavica\u2013Bobrowniki crossing at the Belarusian\u2013Polish border.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last week, Lithuanian Foreign Minister K\u0119stutis Budrys accused Minsk of escalating tensions by seizing Lithuanian trucks and prohibiting them from leaving.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Belarusian Foreign Minister Maksim Ry\u017eanko\u016d said that Belarus was ready to negotiate border reopening with Lithuania \u201cat any time, in any territory, without any preconditions.\u201d  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lithuanian Prime Minister Inga Ruginien\u0117 confirmed receiving an official proposal from Minsk to hold talks on settling border issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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