Lukashenko doesn’t dictate terms on who should do what - Lithuanian FM on negotiations

VILNIUS - Minsk does not set the terms for negotiations, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys says as Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko orderes negotiations with Lithuanian officials on normalizing the border situation.

"I don't think we should frame the issue that way, and that's not how it will be decided by the government. It is not Lukashenko who sets the conditions for who should meet with whom or what should be done. We have our own fundamental principles in foreign policy, which we agreed upon and included in the government's program, and we have our own tactics," Lithuania's top diplomat said in an interview with the 15min.lt news website on Tuesday.

According to the minister, the decision to close the border crossing points with Belarus is a response to what Budrys calls the instrumentalization of smuggling balloons that pose a threat to airspace security in Lithuania.

"All the measures we are applying at the border will be reviewed, taking into account the situation in the air. What happens in the air will also happen on the ground. If the situation in the air is good, the situation on the ground will also change," Budrys said.

As BNS reported earlier, on Tuesday, Lukashenko instructed Foreign Minister Maksim Ryzhenkov to organize negotiations with Lithuanian officials on normalizing the situation and fully restoring the operation of border crossings.

Earlier in the day, Lithuania's State Border Guard Service said its commander turned to the relevant Belarusian authorities on Monday night with an appeal to allow Lithuanian trucks to return home via the Medininkai and Salcininkai border crossing points. On Tuesday afternoon, Interior Minister Vladislav Kondratovic said that no response had been received yet.

For its part, Linava, the national road carriers' association, has demanded that "at least minimal diplomatic dialogue" with Minsk be initiated as soon as possible, that at least one border crossing point be opened, that the protection and evacuation of haulers be ensured, and that measures for compensation for losses be planned.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Belarusian website Nashaniva announced that Lithuanian trucks would not be allowed to leave Belarus until Lithuania opened its border.

It is estimated that there are about 1,000 Lithuanian trucks in Belarus.

"When it comes to our companies, we not only take their interests into account, but also consider it our duty to protect them. Seeing how we are now negotiating and communicating with haulers about the situation and further actions, I can see that we are working as a larger team and will overcome this situation," Budrys said, adding that Lithuania's allies are also helping in the tense situation with Belarus.

"We are not left alone on this bilateral path, the US is fully involved. In this context, taking into account how we are doing in Brussels and with other allies, we will define our further actions in the government. My strong recommendation is not to follow what they are trying to impose on us. After all, where will that lead? They will take something else hostage, maybe not property, but other things. We will decide how to move forward together," the foreign minister said.

The Lithuanian government decided to close the border with Belarus until November 30, with some exceptions in place at the Medininkai border crossing.