Over 2,500 EU-bound trucks lining up at Belarusian border - Belarusian State Border Committee

MINSK. March 11 (Interfax) - More than 2,500 trucks have lined up on the way out of Belarus into the European Union, a spokesman for the country's State Border Committee, Anton Bychkovsky, said on Saturday.

"Over the weekend, the situation at border-crossing points in the European direction has exacerbated. The total number of cargo transport vehicles waiting to enter the EU at the remaining four border checkpoints is over 2,500, around 2,000 of which are standing on the border with Lithuania," Bychkovsky told the BelTA state news agency.

This situation was caused by a unilateral closure on March 1 of two other checkpoints on the border and is "also being considerably affected by the arhythmicity and low actual handling capacity of the adjacent side," he said.

"The worst performer is the one opposite Belarus' Kamenny Log checkpoint, the Lithuanian [checkpoint in] Medininkai," where "border control officers are handling just 16% of the daily norm. Their actions caused the number of travelers in that direction to fall below one-sixth of the established [norm]. The other European checkpoints on the border with our country fulfill no more than half their norm," Bychkovsky said.

The Medininkai and Salcininkai checkpoints are the only two remaining open on the Lithuanian-Belarusian border. The checkpoints in Sumskas (Losha in Belarus) and Tverecius (Vidzy) have been closed by Lithuania since August 18, 2023 and in Lavoriskes (Kotlovka) and Raigardas (Privalka), since March 1, 2024.

Poland has closed all but one checkpoint on its border with Belarus.