Belarus' response to the unfriendly actions of Vilnius was a ban on the supply of food products from Lithuania. They were imported for $6 million annually. But the restrictions do not apply to products for personal use.
The import of industrial goods through the Belarusian-Lithuanian border was also banned. As noted the Prime Minister of Belarus Roman Golovchenko, they were imported 60 thousand tons worth $150 million through this route in 2023. But it doesn't mean that these goods won't reach us this year, 2024. They will simply go in a different direction through Latvia and Poland. The decision on bans will reduce the pressure on the remaining checkpoints.
Roman Golovchenko emphasized that the reality of Vilnius' perception of events had been lost. The Lithuanian authorities are taking sanctions against Belarus to the detriment of their own people, leaving only two checkpoints out of six to work. Both tourists and business lose time due to huge queues.
Roman Golovchenko:
“On the one hand, it will ease the pressure on these checkpoints in a certain way, because substantial batches of goods will simply leave there and it will be easier to cross the border with those goods that we really need. Secondly, Lithuanian business will suffer indirectly. Because, it is no secret, many Lithuanian logistics distribution centers have specialized in accumulating large consignments of goods.”
