Lithuania stepping up control on border with Belarus

MINSK. June 19 (Interfax) - Lithuania is stepping up control on the border with Belarus, the Belarusian state-run television channel Belarus-1 said on Monday.

"Vilnius is continuing to fend off the mythical threat from the east. A patrol road will be built along the border with Belarus in addition to the barbed-wire fence," the channel said.

"The work begins today. The road will be 3.5 meters wide, which will allow patrols to go by foot and by car," it said.

"According to the Lithuanian interior minister, the first phase of the project, which envisages the construction of a 100-kilometer strip, has been funded for now. In case of additional allocations, the road will stretch for another 253 kilometers along the border with Belarus," the channel said.