{"id":164831,"date":"2025-11-19T20:44:31","date_gmt":"2025-11-19T17:44:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/164831\/"},"modified":"2026-03-09T20:10:49","modified_gmt":"2026-03-09T20:10:49","slug":"belarus-receives-official-notice-of-checkpoint-reopening-from-lithuania","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/164831\/","title":{"rendered":"Belarus receives official notice of checkpoint reopening from Lithuania"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

November 19, Pozirk.<\/em><\/strong> The Belarusian State Border Committee received Lithuania\u2019s notice about the reopening of two border checkpoints nearly two hours after a senior security official criticized Vilnius for failing to inform Minsk of such decisions as required by international treaties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About one hour and forty minutes before the notice was delivered, the unofficial Telegram channel of the Belarusian leader quoted Alaksandar Valfovi\u010d, state secretary of Belarus\u2019 Security Council, as saying that Minsk had not received any official notifications from Lithuania regarding either the closure or reopening of border checkpoints.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His comments came just hours after Vilnius announced that it would restore traffic through the Medininkai and \u0160al\u010dininkai border crossings at midnight (1 a.m. Minsk time) on November 20.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vilnius had originally planned to keep the checkpoints closed from October 29 to November 30 in response to repeated airspace violations by cigarette-smuggling balloons launched from Belarus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Valfovi\u010d criticized Lithuania\u2019s actions as non-constructive and inconsistent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He made the remarks during a meeting with Prime Minister Alaksandar Tur\u010dyn, Foreign Minister Maksim Ry\u017eanko\u016d, State Border Committee Chairman Kanstancin Mo\u0142asta\u016d, State Customs Committee Chairman U\u0142adzimir Ar\u0142o\u016dski, and Committee for State Security chief Ivan Tertel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Lithuanian government said that traffic would reopen \u201conly for automobiles,\u201d leaving it unclear whether passenger buses would be allowed to cross the border.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Belarus\u2019 Minsktrans and Ecolines bus operators announced the resumption of service one day before Vilnius approved the reopening of the checkpoints.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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