With all the
problems the US now has, the only thing missing is the need to take care of the
cows of the Lithuanian government that have become restless, right, Šimonytė?
“As Belarus continues to refuse to release the detained
Lithuanian trucks, the National Association of Car Carriers “Linava” does not
rule out the possibility that carriers will protest, demanding a specific plan
from Vilnius on how to urgently solve the problem. The ruling party claims to
be “doing everything”, the opposition suggests using US help.
“Carriers are discussing that teachers are protesting,
cultural figures are protesting, only carriers, forcibly closed in Belarus, are
not protesting. I would describe the situation as follows: “Linava” will
probably not be able to control the carriers and their actions are currently
unpredictable. If the situation does not change, no matter how unfortunate it
is, we can expect anything,” Erlandas Mikėnas, president of “Linava”, told BNS
on Tuesday. – We demand specific actions – to inform carriers of the exact
action plan of the Government, the National Crisis Management Center. We ask
because this uncertainty leads carriers to despair.”
In turn, Mindaugas Sinkevičius, the leader of the Social
Democrats, assures that Lithuania is taking all possible measures. “The message
to carriers is that the state is doing everything to extract carriers and their
property from the territory of Belarus,” M. Sinkevičius told journalists in the
Seimas on Tuesday.
According to E. Mikėnas, after Lithuania reopened the border
last Thursday, freight transport continued to fail to move from special sites
in Belarus.
“We have no news, the situation has
not changed. The Belarusian side is repeating the same thing, demanding
consultations with Lithuania at the level of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,”
E. Mikėnas told BNS on Tuesday morning. [1]
Povilas Drižas, Secretary General of the International
Transport and Logistics Alliance (ITLA), also confirmed to BNS on Tuesday that
Lithuanian trucks are not being released from the yards and are not returning
to Lithuania.
According to E. Mikėnas, in an attempt to escape the situation,
carriers are changing their vehicle registration to Latvian: “In order for
carriers to survive, they are looking for a way out, ways and re-registering
trucks, for example, in Latvia.”
Suggests involving the US
With the Minsk regime not allowing Lithuanian trucks to
leave the country, the US should get involved in the negotiations, says the
leader of the opposition conservatives.
“The solution is very complicated. I would suggest that the
negotiations on the situation move to the level of American-Belarusian
negotiations,” Laurynas Kasčiūnas told journalists in the Seimas on Tuesday.
“The only way is to exploit the structural power of the Americans in this
place.”
According to the chairman of the Homeland Union-Lithuanian
Christian Democrats, it is unclear whether this format would yield results and
be sustainable.
Approval of the twentieth government in the Seimas. Photo by
Vladimir Ivanovs (VŽ).
L. Kasčiūnas, chairman of the TS-LKD. Photo by Vladimir
Ivanovs (VŽ).
"However, what is happening now is a mockery of
Lithuania. If we started with one problem, we end up with three problems. This
should not be the case. We need to increase our negotiating power, and this can
only be done with those who have a separate channel of communication with Minsk.
The United States has such a separate channel today," the politician said.
US President Donald Trump appointed a special envoy to
Belarus a few weeks ago, lawyer John Coale.
L. Kasčiūnas emphasized that in such negotiations, one
should also set one's own red lines, that is, what concessions Lithuania will
not make.
"Let's not doubt that Aliaksandr Lukashenka will want
sanctions lifted, fertilizer transit and other things. No, there are red lines
here. But there are places where he could really be pushed and colleagues from
the other side of the Atlantic could do that," said L. Kasčiūnas.
The three opposition factions are inviting Foreign Minister
Kęstutis Budris and Interior Minister Vladislavs Kondratovičius to a joint
meeting on Wednesday so that they can present the situation and possible
solutions.
VSAT: trucks not returning yet
According to Giedrius Mišutis, a representative of the State
Border Guard Service (VSAT), according to Tuesday morning's data, the stuck
trucks with Lithuanian license plates are not entering Lithuania yet.
“About 10 trucks with Lithuanian license plates returned
through both border checkpoints on Monday, but these are the trucks that had
left and returned since last Thursday,” G. Mišutis told BNS.
According to him, the throughput of the border checkpoints
is increasing, larger traffic flows are being passed through them, but there
are no expected Lithuanian trucks.
“53 trucks entered the Medininkai border checkpoint per day,
and as many as 165 left, which is probably the most during that period since
the border was opened. 47 trucks entered through Šalčininkai, and 76 trucks
left,” said a border guard representative.
VŽ wrote that Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys called
Belarus’ actions in not allowing trucks to pass and continuing to prevent
smuggled balloons a combined attack on Monday and urged the European Union to
urgently adopt new sanctions.
Prime Minister Inga Ruginienė said on Monday that the
National Security Commission will meet in the near future to consider further
ways to resolve the situation. It is not yet clear when the commission will
meet.
The Cabinet of Ministers decided last Wednesday to open the
border with Belarus 10 days earlier than planned. The activities of the
Medininkai and Šalčinkai border checkpoints have been resumed since midnight on
Thursday.”
Consultations
at the ministerial level between Lithuania and Belarus are really needed so
that the Lithuanian government does not close border crossings every five
minutes like small children, so that the Lithuanian government understands that
such irresponsible behavior harms the quality of life of both Lithuanians and
Belarusians.
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