Vilnius, Nov 19 — The Lithuanian government has decided to reopen its border with Belarus earlier than previously scheduled, according to a report by the Baltic News Service (BNS). The decision was approved on Wednesday, allowing operations at the Salcininkai-Benyakoni and Medininkai-Kamenny Log checkpoints to resume from Thursday. Both points had remained closed or partially restricted for more than two weeks.
Interior Minister Vladislavas Kondratovicius informed the cabinet that the National Security Commission had reassessed the situation and concluded that the restrictions imposed on October 29 were no longer essential for safeguarding domestic security. The closures, he noted, were introduced as a precautionary measure in response to a civil aviation threat triggered by smugglers’ balloons.
“With the circumstances now changed, it is appropriate to lift the restrictions outlined in the earlier government resolution,” the minister stated, emphasizing that the decision aligns with updated security assessments.
The Lithuanian Cabinet had initially shut the border with Belarus on October 30, with limited exceptions, for a period of one month. The Salcininkai-Benyakoni checkpoint was fully closed as part of the enforcement, while the Medininkai-Kamenny Log checkpoint operated under restricted conditions.
The reopening decision follows Poland’s move earlier this week to reactivate two of its own checkpoints on the Belarus border. Subsequently, Lithuanian and Belarusian border officials held technical discussions on Tuesday to address the return of stranded Lithuanian trucks and to coordinate efforts on smuggling prevention and migrant-related concerns, BNS reported.
Meanwhile, regional border dynamics continue to shift. In October, Poland extended its border controls with Germany and Lithuania for an additional six months. The temporary checks, first introduced on July 7, are being conducted at 50 points along the Polish-German border and 13 points on the Polish-Lithuanian frontier, according to the Polish Press Agency.
Polish authorities have argued that the country has paid a significant price in guarding the European Union’s external border, recording nearly 25,000 illegal crossings from Belarus by early October.
