Lithuanian trucks located on the territory of Belarus on the access roads to the Kamenny Log and Benyakoni checkpoints will be moved to specially equipped parking lots in the Kotlovka area. This was announced today, November 10, by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic.
The Foreign Ministry recalled that due to Vilnius' decision to close border crossings on the Belarusian-Lithuanian border, more than 1.1 thousand heavy trucks of Lithuanian carriers have accumulated on the territory of Belarus.
"In order to ensure the safety and security of these vehicles, concentrated mainly on the access roads to the Kamenny Log and Benyakoni checkpoints, the Belarusian side decided to move them to specially equipped parking lots near the Kotlovka checkpoint," the report says.
The ministry noted that for humanitarian reasons, drivers have been given the opportunity to leave Belarus and move to their places of permanent residence until Vilnius decides to reopen the checkpoints. If one of the drivers is unable to leave the Belarusian territory for one reason or another, the Foreign Ministry is ready to provide them with the necessary assistance.
"All additional expenses of cargo carriers, senders and recipients of cargo in Lithuania, other states of the European Union and beyond its borders are caused exclusively by reckless, arbitrary and politicized actions of the Lithuanian authorities," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belarus emphasized.
At the same time, the ministry said that "the Belarusian side reserves the right to apply all measures provided for by law to these heavy trucks."
The position of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was also confirmed by the Belarusian State Customs Committee of Belarus, where they said that Lithuanian trucks would be able to leave the parking lots after Lithuania opened the border.
"In order to eliminate unsafe conditions on the access roads to the Shalchininkai and Myadininkai checkpoints closed by the Lithuanian side, more than 1.1 thousand trucks registered in Lithuania, which continued to wait along the roads for Lithuania to open the border, are now being placed on the Belarusian side in specially equipped places. The vehicles will be parked near the checkpoints "Kamenny Log", "Berestovitsa", "Benyakoni", "Kotlovka"," the Belarusian department noted.
It is reported that "since 9.00 on November 10, the movement of Lithuanian trucks has been stopped in both directions of the Belarusian-Lithuanian border."
"If Lithuania continues its unfriendly policy and does not meet the Lithuanian carriers halfway, the Belarusian side has the right to take measures provided for by law with respect to these vehicles. Trucks will be able to leave the parking lots, but only after the Lithuanian side fully resumes traffic through the Belarusian-Lithuanian section of the border," the SCC stressed.
It should be recalled that at the end of October, the Lithuanian side announced the closure of the two remaining border checkpoints — Myadininkai (Kamenny Log) and Shalchininkai (Benyakoni). — until December 1. In response, Minsk imposed restrictions on crossing the Belarusian border for heavy trucks with Lithuanian registration. The Council of Ministers explained that this measure is a forced response to the actions of Lithuania, whose authorities have repeatedly and without warning closed border crossings at the border.