Lithuania to lodge protest against Belarus over airspace incident

Lithuania is preparing a formal note of protest to Belarus following an incident involving weather balloons that disrupted operations at Vilnius Airport, Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys announced.

Budrys said that all information concerning the incident is being shared with transatlantic allies and will be presented at an upcoming EU Council on Foreign Affairs meeting, Caliber.Az reports, citing Lithuanian media.

“Within the scope of my authority, what we are currently working on is the preparation of a protest note to Belarus, taking into account the violation of our airspace. We are preparing information for our partners in the European Union and the European Commission. A meeting of the Council on Foreign Affairs will take place, where we will also present this information,” Budrys said.

The minister highlighted that Lithuania is maintaining close coordination with US partners. “We will also provide all information about actions taken against us to the American side. Together, we will seek not only a name for all of this, but also very concrete solutions. We have constant contacts with the US. We have a large mission in Washington, and we communicate not only through Washington. We provide information, observations, and there is a continuous exchange of information,” he added.

Regarding Belarus’ potential involvement in the recent increase of balloons crossing into Lithuania, Budrys said authorities are still investigating. “We are not yet ready to give a definitive answer on the role of Belarusian authorities. More data needs to be collected and all possible scenarios considered,” he said.

By Vafa Guliyeva