Lithuania to send diplomatic note to Belarus over drone airspace violation

Lithuania will send a diplomatic note to Belarus following an incident involving a drone that violated the country’s airspace, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys said.

According to Budrys, Lithuania prepares and sends a note to the state from which an aircraft or other object entered its airspace after each such violation. “In this case, we are talking about Belarus,” the minister noted.

Budrys also said Lithuania would hold consultations with its allies. The possibility of invoking Article 4 of the NATO Treaty, which provides for consultations among allies, will be considered after the investigation is completed. For now, he said, there is no need for extraordinary measures.

A drone that entered Lithuanian territory was shot down over Kaunas County on the night of September 15. NATO air policing fighter jets were scrambled to intercept it.

By Jeyhun Aghazada