Lithuania blames Belarus of refusing to cooperate on anti-smuggling steps

Lithuanian Interior Minister Vladislav Kondratovič has stated that Belarus is not cooperating with Lithuania on efforts to prevent smuggling.

During a conversation with journalists, Kondratovič noted that Lithuania did not have any contact with the Belarusian side and had not received any information from them, despite repeatedly sending signals that balloons were being launched from certain points and urging action, Caliber.Az reports via Lithuanian media.

The minister confirmed that all individuals detained so far on smuggling charges are Lithuanian citizens, adding that new legislative amendments are being developed to combat smuggling.

“The legislative amendments, the first package of which was adopted back in December, have certainly toughened the penalties, but we see that they may not fully affect the offenders, given the observed increase in activity. A new amendment is being prepared, with a legal team working on it,” Kondratovič emphasised.

Earlier, Lithuania handed a note of protest to Belarus’s chargé d’affaires following another incursion of weather balloons from Belarus into Lithuanian airspace, which temporarily forced the closure of Vilnius Airport. 

On the evening of January 27, the largest balloon-related smuggling incident of the year was recorded, forcing the airport to close three times and disrupting travel plans for 1,700 passengers.

By Jeyhun Aghazada