Фото: Reform.by
Lithuania sees no conditions for political dialogue with Minsk. This was stated on Žinių radijas by Lithuanian presidential foreign policy adviser Asta Skaisgirytė. According to her, only technical contacts in the border context are possible.
“Can we establish a certain line, a technical line for negotiations? Yes, we can, because, after all, there is a border. Various incidents are possible on this border over a very long period of time. Therefore, we can speak at this level. However, I currently see no possibility for a normal political dialogue at the leaders’ level, because there are no conditions for this,” she said.
Skaisgirytė recalled that Belarus is an ally of Russia and supports it in the war against Ukraine, and therefore is neither an ally nor a partner. The presidential adviser described Belarus as a hostile state conducting hybrid actions against Lithuania. She mentioned smugglers’ weather balloons, migration pressure and the detention of trucks.
It should be noted that Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda said in early April that he might begin dialogue if, over a four-week period, no smugglers’ weather balloons entered Lithuanian territory, there were no migrants at the border and all trucks were returned. However, in April attempts by migrants to cross the Lithuanian border continued to be recorded, smugglers’ weather balloons entered the country, and only the previously detained Lithuanian trucks continued returning home. According to the Belarusian State Customs Committee, all vehicles are expected to leave Belarus by the end of May.