Situation on Lithuania-Belarus border difficult due to truck lines - Lithuanian border service chief

VILNIUS. June 19 (Interfax/BNS) - The situation on the Lithuanian-Belarusian border remains difficult because of the long queues of trucks which are stranded there, but it is expected to improve after renovation of the Medininkai border crossing is completed, Commander of Lithuania's State Border Guard Service Rustamas Liubajevas said.

"I have to admit that the situation is difficult. We can see that quite a large number of queues have formed at the border crossings for different reasons, the first of which I've identify as the absence of infrastructure. As is known, the renovation of one of the largest checkpoints - the Medininkai border crossing - is currently in progress. Apparently, after its reconstruction is complete, the situation should improve a little," Liubajevas told reporters at the border on Monday.

Data from Lithuania's border crossings administration indicate that more than 1,100 trucks were waiting on the Lithuanian side of the border to cross into Belarus on Monday morning, which is around 400 fewer trucks than on Friday.

Lines of trucks have been forming on the border because of more thorough checks carried out by customs officials, Liubajevas said. The Customs Department adopted stricter rules for such checks on June 5, to prevent any possible evasion of sanctions and the import of sanctioned goods to Russia, requiring carriers to provide documents confirming this, but not all carriers have such documents.

"Customs authorities are currently using a lengthier and more detailed procedure for such checks," he said.

The service is ready to expedite the checks, but it does not depend on border guards, Liubajevas said.

"We certainly can expedite control of transport vehicles and individuals; we can allocate additional staff for this, but it all comes down to other procedures [and] other institutions," he said.

Poland imposed a full entry ban on trucks registered in Belarus and Russia from June 1 until further notice is received from the Polish interior and administration minister. Part of this traffic transits Lithuania.