Lithuanian president: forces must do everything to prevent border provocations

VILNIUS – Lithuania's interior and military forces must do everything they can to prevent possible provocations and incidents on the border with Belarus, President Gitanas Nauseda said on Monday. 

Nauseda was commenting on the Interior Ministry's proposal to declare a state of emergency on the border in response to the situation on the Polish-Belarusian border.

"The president stresses that as the Lukashenko regime continues and intensifies its hybrid attack against the European Union and organizes a massive influx of irregular migrants at the Belarusian-Polish border, the Lithuanian interior and national defense forces must do their utmost to prevent possible provocations and incidents of various kinds at the Lithuanian border," Ridas Jasiulionis, Nauseda's spokesman, told BNS. 

Nauseda plans to meet on Tuesday with officials from the government, the border guard service, the Armed Forces and special services to discuss the situation and Lithuania's actions, and possible changes to the legal regime, according to the spokesman. 

Earlier on Monday, Nauseda discussed the situation at the border his Polish counterpart, Andrzej Duda. The two presidents agreed to regularly exchange information on the situation at the border and to coordinate actions.

Polish forces on Monday prevented an attempt by migrants to force their way across the border from Belarus. Officials said hundreds of migrants had tried to enter the country.