Expert on closure of checkpoints with Belarus: Lithuania follows instructions of Brussels, London and Washington

Lithuania unilaterally closes checkpoints on the border with Belarus. In addition, restrictions are being imposed on irregular passenger transportation by buses and a ban on crossing the border for cyclists through the Belarusian Myadininkai (Kamenny Log) and Shalchininkai (Benyakoni) checkpoint, although a visa-free regime for Lithuanian citizens, and others, is operational in Belarus. In his talk with Alfa Radio, Aleksei Avdonin, an expert from the Belarusian Institute for Strategic Studies, speculated on the developing situation.

“These are definitely not friendly steps – caused not even by a personal decision of Vilnius, but exclusively by instructions from Brussels, London and Washington. All this is aimed at creating ‘cut-off zones’, the concept of forming a closed economic zone, a closed camp, which the European Union currently represents, in fact. They developed this concept a long time ago. We saw how fences were being built on the border area between Poland, the Baltic States and Belarus, and now we see how Poland and Lithuania are closing the checkpoints. This is being done not because they dislike us so much or because we pose some kind of threat to them. This is primarily aimed at excluding the possibility for the EU citizens to come to Belarus – for them to see that everything is really fine with us, that everything is fine with our economy, with political and social processes. Otherwise, their propaganda will not work," the expert noted.

Mr. Avdonin explained what course the countries neighbouring Belarus in the west and north-west have chosen in relation to the republic, “If we scan the information field that currently exists in the Baltic States and Poland, we can clearly see that their main ideology is to escalate the situation and militarise the consciousness of Europeans. This propaganda works only when the information field, the community that propaganda affects, is closed: citizens cannot travel, for example, to Belarus to see that we do not have any militant groups here, that we do not pose any threat to Europe, Poland, or the Baltic States, that our economy functions well, and that the policy pursued by our government enjoys a direct and very good support among the population. Naturally, they distort all this in their information field and present it in completely different formats. This is done in order to justify the costs that go to military purposes in Europe and NATO countries, the costs related to the programme being implemented on our borders: we are talking here about the border militarisation, the deployment of a huge contingent, the creation of appropriate military infrastructure. All these expenses must be justified somehow, so ‘good propaganda’ is needed for this purpose.”

Actually, the Belarusian tourist destination is very popular among Lithuanians. Almost one in five Lithuanian residents crossed the border on a visa-free regime on their way to Belarus. Foreigners come to the republic for food, fuel, and medical care. In Belarus, Lithuanians solve their simple everyday problems, and the restrictive measures imposed on Belarus also affect people living in the border area.

“There has always been a very easy regime for our citizens to travel to the territory of Lithuania or for Lithuanians to come to Belarus during the main religious holidays – especially on Easter or the days of remembrance of the dead. This neighbourhood regime operated well. However, at present, Vilnius is not independent. It is a limitrophic state that is forced to follow in the wake of Brussels, Washington and London. Therefore, they do what they are told: if they are told to close [the border], they perform this – despite all the benefits and good neighbourliness. Meanwhile, Lithuanians understand perfectly well what economic losses could be generated by the closure of the checkpoints. For example, putting aside exclusively civilian trips and focusing on the work of legal entities, we can assert that there is active freight transportation between Lithuania and Belarus, and Lithuania’s losses are huge – including with regard to the port infrastructures. They have become a result of the sanctions imposed against Belarus, its potash and petrochemical enterprises,” Mr. Avdonin noted. “Vilnius is forced to take these steps. Moreover, they have to compensate them somehow, and give people allowances as they fire them. This is happening now since the policy of London, Washington and Brussels is aimed at aggravating the situation in our region, and it prevails over the national interests of Lithuania.”