Lithuanian Interior Minister Agne Bilotaite has requested financial support from the EU to strengthen the protection of the country’s border with Russia, BNS reports. In a letter to EU Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson, Bilotaite emphasised the need to modernise and update border surveillance systems, with costs estimated at nearly EUR 16mn and required…
Lithuania will close down two more checkpoints on the border with Belarus as of 1 March 2024, BNS reports. Interior Minister Agne Bilotaite said that closing the checkpoints in Lavoriskes and Raigardas would allow authorities to enforce sanctions, prevent smuggling, and screen incoming travellers more effectively. Also, the National Security Commission (NSK) proposed cutting the…
The Lithuanian government does not plan to close more checkpoints on the border with Belarus in the near future, Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte announced, LRT reports. However, she said that the possibility to do so remained, given that security threats persisted. A complete closure of the Belarus border would only be done in coordination with…
The Baltic States and Poland have agreed to close their borders with Belarus in the event of a “critical incident” involving the Russian private military company, Wagner Group, Polish Interior Minister Mariusz Kaminski announced, TVP World reports. Following their meeting in Warsaw, the Baltic and Polish interior ministers demanded that Belarus expel the Wagner mercenaries…
Lithuania does not rule out closing its borders with Belarus and Russia’s Kaliningrad region, Interior Minister Agne Bilotaite stated, The New Voice of Ukraine reports. She discussed the situation with the commander of the State Border Guard Service (VSAT). Bilotaite stressed that Lithuania must be prepared for various threats along the borders. Earlier, Lithuania decided…
Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland are discussing the possibility of closing their borders with Belarus completely, Lithuanian Interior Minister Agne Bilotaite announced, BNS reports. Bilotaite said that the final details of a “synchronous regional decision” would be worked out at talks in Warsaw on 28 August 2023. Earlier, the Lithuanian government closed two checkpoints on the…
Lithuania will close two of its six border checkpoints with Belarus following the arrival of Russian private military company Wagner Group’s mercenaries in Belarus, Deputy Interior Minister Arnoldas Abramavicius announced, BNS reports. He said that the plan was to close the Sumskas and Tverecius border checkpoints. Saulius Nekrasevicius, deputy director of the State Border Guard…