Belarus to start returning stranded Lithuanian trucks on Monday, Minsk says

VILNIUS - Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko pledged to resolve the issue of Lithuanian cargo vehicles stranded in Belarus, saying the return process would begin on Monday and mandatory parking fees would be reduced.

According to the Belarusian state news agency Belta, Lukashenko said a decision on trucks and semi-trailers detained from Lithuania and Poland would be made shortly, with Minsk potentially releasing them starting Monday.

"I will make a decision, and I think that from Monday we will start the process of returning these trucks. We will return these trucks. I feel sorry for the Poles and Lithuanians," Lukashenko said.

The daily parking fee of 120 euros for cargo vehicles at designated sites, introduced late last year, is also expected to be lowered.

Lukashenko, quoted by Belta, said carriers would be able to retrieve their vehicles after paying a "symbolic parking fee," which would "likely be set at a European price."

Erlandas Mikenas, president of the Lithuanian national road carriers' association Linava, said carriers had not yet received official confirmation from Minsk. He said information on the potential return of trucks and fee reductions was obtained through Belarusian media and the Belarusian carriers’ association Bamap.

Mikenas said a Lithuanian carriers’ initiative group that met with the Belarusian prime minister this week was promised that parking fees would be reduced.

He added that the return of the trucks would finally end the crisis but raised concerns over border-crossing capacity and Lithuania’s ability to process the vehicles without creating long queues.

Lithuanian trucks were stranded in Belarus last year when Lithuania closed its border checkpoints at the height of the contraband balloon crisis.