Minister of Foreign affairs of Belarus M.Ryzhenkov on the results of the report to the Head of State

The President of the Republic of Belarus was briefed on the current situation at the border and on the measures taken by the Belarusian side to promptly resolve this issue and reopen the border crossing points - primarily in the interests of people: citizens of the Republic of Belarus, citizens of the Republic of Lithuania, as well as citizens of third countries and EU member states who used this border for their travel.

The President gave relevant instructions on how to expedite the process of restoring normal relations with the Lithuanian side regarding the proper functioning of the state border.
I would like to emphasize that the Republic of Belarus fully supports the prompt restoration of the normal functioning of the Belarus–Lithuania state border, including the operation of all border crossing points stipulated by our contractual and legal framework, and the resumption of normal interaction between the respective services responsible for border operations.

This position is based entirely on the legal and contractual instruments signed and currently in force between our states. Let me remind you that these include:

— the Treaty on Good-Neighbourliness and Cooperation,
— the Treaty on the Regime of the State Border,
— the Agreement on Border Crossing Points,
— the Agreement on Road Transport, and
— the Agreement on the Transit of Belarusian Cargoes through the Infrastructure of the Republic of Lithuania.

The unilateral actions taken by the Lithuanian side were inconsistent with these agreements. They violated not only the spirit but also the letter of these agreements, as well as a number of conventions and international treaties to which both the Republic of Belarus and the Republic of Lithuania are parties.

At the same time, we are focused on the prompt resolution of this situation. Considering that the matter has now gone beyond the authority of the border services of our two countries, it has been decided that further negotiations with the Lithuanian side will be conducted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This is because the next steps must encompass a full range of political and diplomatic measures.

I would like to reiterate that all of these measures, as envisaged by the Belarusian side, are aimed at the prompt settlement of the situation and the restoration of the normal functioning of our border in the interests of citizens of both states.

Relevant proposals have already been submitted to the Lithuanian side through the authorized border agencies, and we are awaiting an appropriate response.

I sincerely hope that if the Lithuanian side is truly ready to respect the interests of its own citizens and to act in accordance with the needs and expectations of its business community — which is currently suffering from these unilateral measures taken by the Republic of Lithuania — then it will respond positively to our proposals in the near future.
We are ready to engage in negotiations at any time, in any place, and without any preconditions.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania has already rushed to tell the press that he will not meet with Minister Ryzhenkov at this time. However, that statement does not mean that dialogue will not take place.

I can also add that the situation has attracted considerable interest and concern from our key partners in the Eurasian Economic Union and the European Union.

In this regard, in order to provide them with full information, detailed data, and the official position of the Belarusian side, a briefing has been organized today at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at the level of a Deputy Minister for the heads of diplomatic missions accredited in the Republic of Belarus.

The purpose of this briefing is to clarify our approach and to express our readiness to hold negotiations and resolve the situation promptly — in the very near future.

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