Foreign and transport ministers Kestutis Budrys and Juras Taminskas appealed to the Commission to “develop and present a coherent EU action plan” to aid European carriers in Belarus and address border security issues tied to unmanned aircraft, including smuggler balloons, according to a letter cited Sunday by the BNS news agency.
The letter asks EU foreign and transport commissioners Kaja Kallas and Apostolos Tzitzikos to demand, at the EU level, the “full and unconditional release” of European carriers and assets “illegally detained” in Belarus. It also urges the launch of additional Belarus sanctions over balloons breaching Lithuanian airspace.
Lithuania says it has faced months of incidents involving meteorological and smuggler balloons that have also disrupted operations at Vilnius airport. The government briefly closed the Belarus border in late October, later reopening it after assessing that security conditions no longer required the measure.
The improvement proved temporary. Vilnius airport was shut for eight hours overnight from Friday to Saturday due to balloons; radar detected a record of about 60 balloon-like tracks, authorities said. The airport was closed again on Sunday for the same reason.
Belarus is also blocking Lithuanian trucks that were stranded on its territory after the border closure. Despite the reopening, Minsk has not allowed the vehicles to leave, demanding consultations at foreign-ministry level. Lithuania’s foreign minister has refused, warning such talks could help Minsk break out of political isolation.
The Lithuanian government estimates about 280 trucks remain trapped in Belarus. The Lithuanian road carriers’ association Linava says the figure is in the several thousands.
(jh)
Source: PAP