By Abida Kahlun
Bureau Chief Helsinki
Scandinavian News Agency
Finland
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenka has instructed Foreign Minister Maksim Ryzhenkov to initiate negotiations with Lithuania to “normalize the situation and resume operations at the closed border checkpoints.”
According to Lukashenka’s press service, Vilnius has already submitted proposals aimed at resolving the ongoing border crisis. The discussions will include authorized Lithuanian representatives, while coordination from the Belarusian side will be overseen by Security Council Secretary Alexander Volfovich.
Earlier, Belarus had begun forcibly moving Lithuanian trucks to guarded parking areas, preventing their departure until the border reopened. Lukashenka even warned that the vehicles could be confiscated a move
seen internationally as open extortion.
Meanwhile, Lithuania’s government stated that it plans to pursue diplomatic efforts to open humanitarian and trade corridors, particularly through the Medininkai and Šalčininkai checkpoints.
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