Governor Alikhanov on the ban on transit from Belarus through Lithuania: I am very worried
Anton Alikhanov. Photo: Alexey Maishev / RIA Novosti
The Governor of the Kaliningrad Region Anton Alikhanov appreciated the initiative of Lithuania to limit the transit of goods from Belarus. He said in an interview with RIA Novosti that he is worried because Kaliningrad is consuming Belarusian products.
“I am very worried that some initiatives are heard to limit the transit of Belarusian goods through the territory of Lithuania. And I ask everyone for help. Actually, there is Kaliningrad. And besides the fact that something can pass through us in transit, we, in fact, consume Belarusian goods – food, building materials and more, ”he said.
The governor added that he sees in Lithuania's decision a threat not only to food, but also to the economic security of the region.
Earlier, the representative of the Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova said that the ban on the transit of Belarusian goods through the territory of Lithuania could harm Russian citizens living in the Kaliningrad region.
On December 16, it was reported that the Lithuanian Ministry of Transport had prepared a bill prohibiting the transit of goods from Belarus through the territory of the republic. Later, the press secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) of Belarus, Anatoly Glaz, accused the Lithuanian authorities of aggression, cynicism and violation of international law. According to him, conditions are being created “for a complete ban on the supply and transit of any Belarusian goods for further transportation by sea.”
The West has introduced another package of sanctions against Minsk against the background of the migration crisis on the border of Belarus and the European Union.
