Lithuania notified Minsk of the termination of cooperation to ensure the uninterrupted movement of transport across the border. This was announced on Thursday, February 16 press office State Border Committee of Belarus.
“According to the Lithuanian side, the state border protection service under the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania is stopping cooperation with the customs and border services of the Republic of Belarus to ensure an uninterrupted flow of transport across the border and increase the capacity of road checkpoints,” the Belarusian border committee said in a statement.
It notes that interaction with the customs and border services of Belarus is terminated unilaterally.
The press service also added that cooperation was carried out on the basis of a document signed by the parties on November 4, 2019.
The day before, the Lithuanian customs announced that from February 16, the movement of freight trains from Belarus to Lithuania through the Stasilos checkpoint (from the Belarusian side of Benyakoni) would be suspended. This decision was explained by the department as “an increased threat to the national security of Lithuania due to the large flows of contraband transported by trains from Belarus.”
The resumption of freight traffic is planned after the installation of a stationary X-ray control system at the railway checkpoint Benyakoni – Stasilos. It is clarified that this checkpoint is intended for registration of freight trains only.
Earlier, on January 18, the Lithuanian government denounced an agreement with Belarus on the principles of cross-border cooperation. This process was initiated by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Lithuania. The ministry said that in the current geopolitical situation, the implementation of the agreement is impossible and will not become possible in the near future.
