Belaruskali: Belarus may block the transit of goods to Lithuania
Photo: Ints Kalnins / Reuters
Belarus may block the transit of goods to Lithuania if the latter refuses to transport Belarusian potash across its territory. The representative of Belaruskali, Irina Savchenko, spoke about this ultimatum in an interview with the Lithuanian television and radio company LRT.
She noted that the termination of the transit of Belarusian potash is a violation of international obligations under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade.
“We are confident that most of our customers and buyers of fertilizers will go to court if they are left without our goods and suffer significant losses due to the actions of Lithuania,” Savchenko said. They will be forced to buy fertilizers at higher prices, the amount of claims in this case will reach billions of euros, the representative of Belaruskali stressed.
If Belarus stops transit, the Lithuanian Railways will remain without work, Savchenko said. She also called the transit of Belarusian fertilizers through Lithuania a “humanitarian corridor”. The shutdown will exacerbate world hunger, she said.
In Lithuania, Transport Minister Marius Skuodis previously resigned for failing to comply with sanctions against Belarus. Despite the US ban, the transit of Belarusian fertilizers through Lithuania continues.
According to the US sanctions against Belarus, the export of fertilizers from the republic should be stopped. However, the deliveries continued due to the fact that Minsk transferred the advance payment to the Lithuanian Railways in November.
