Lithuanian foreign minister won't go to Minsk after Brussels cancels visit

  • 2019-10-03
  • BNS/TBT Staff

VILNIUS - After the European Union's diplomatic service has cancelled its planned visit to Minsk, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Linas Linkevicius will not go to Belarus either, diplomats said on Thursday. 

"The European External Action Service has cancelled the high-level visit to Minsk," Rasa Jakilaitiene, the minister's spokeswoman, told BNS. 

Linkevicius planned to take part in a meeting of EU Eastern Partnership ministers in Belarus later this week. 

An EU spokesperson said the visit had been postponed due to "agenda changes". 

"The visit of the High Representative to Belarus as well as the Eastern Partnership ministerial event are postponed due to a number of agenda changes of various participants, and following contacts with the Belarusian hosts," the spokesperson said.  

The Lithuanian government has recently taken steps to establish a closer dialog with Belarus' authorities, a position criticized by the Homeland Union–Lithuanian Christian Democrats, the biggest opposition party in the parliament.