Molostov: The current situation at the border requires a high-level government resolution

On November 12, the President of Belarus heard a report on the situation at the border. The latest update was provided by Konstantin Molostov, Chairman of the State Border Committee.

Konstantin Molostov, Chairman of the State Border Committee, reported on the overall state of affairs at the state border, specifically focusing on the situation on the Belarusian-Lithuanian border.

Information was provided on the operational situation, the actions of border service agencies in cooperation with other agencies, and the implementation of the President's instructions. The discussion also focused on the development and improvement of the agency's work as a whole, as well as areas that require special attention given the current challenging conditions. This included strengthening border security through the renovation and modernization of border infrastructure and technical equipment.

The head of the border agency recalled that from 2024 to October of this year, only two of the five road crossing points on the Lithuanian border were operational: Kamenny Log (adjacent to Medininkai) and Beniakoni (adjacent to Šalčininkai).

In October, the Lithuanian side unilaterally repeatedly suspended the passage of people and vehicles at the state border crossing points. And on October 26, at Lithuania's initiative, the passage of people and vehicles was suspended at the Šalčininkai crossing point (adjacent to Beniakoni).

Chairman of the State Border Committee of Belarus Konstantin Molostov

"On October 30, we received official notification from the Lithuanian side regarding the decision of the Government of the Republic of Lithuania to impose certain restrictions on the passage of persons and vehicles across the state border, primarily affecting citizens of Belarus and Lithuania. However, notifications through the border representative office and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs were not received in a timely manner, indicating a failure to implement the agreement on border crossing points," emphasized Konstantin Molostov.

As the Chairman of the State Border Committee noted, the Lithuanian side has subsequently made repeated proposals through the border representative office to temporarily reopen border crossing points under various conditions.

"Obviously, the current situation goes beyond the authority of the border agencies of both countries, and this issue requires a resolution at the highest government level," said Konstantin Molostov.