Lithuania unilaterally withdraws from cross-border treaty with Belarus

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - Lithuania notified Belarus on Thursday that it was unilaterally terminating an agreement on cross-border cooperation, according to a statement by the Belarusian State Border Committee (SBC).

"According to the Lithuanian side, the State Border Protection Service under the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania unilaterally terminates cooperation with the customs and border services of the Republic of Belarus," said the SBC in a statement.

The agreement had been signed in 2019 to help ensure the uninterrupted flow of transport across the 680-kilometer (422 miles) border.

"The reasons for the termination of the interaction are not specified in the notification," added the statement.

This move came after Vilnius denounced another 2006 agreement with Belarus on the principles of cross-border cooperation.

The withdrawal was initiated by Lithuania's Interior Ministry, which said its implementation was impossible under current circumstances and was unlikely to become possible in the near future.

In particular, the document contained the terms of cross-border vehicle and passenger movement, as well as the exchange of information and assistance at the border in the case of natural or man-made emergencies.