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Lithuania is risking its security and part of its economy by being the first to impose sanctions on Belarus for its disputed presidential elections, it has been claimed.
Vilnius and its Baltic neighbors Latvia and Estonia imposed travel bans on Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and dozens of officials. That was over allegations that the August 9 poll was rigged in favor of Lukashenko and the subsequent crackdown on protesters.
But the sanctions were imposed without waiting for the rest of the European Union and that could pose a danger to Lithuania, according to a parliamentarian.
“He could not even rule out military aggressions or outbreaks in the [Lithuania-Belarus] border, “said Simon Gentvilas.
Especially when he (Lukashenko) needs to reassert himself as a tough man and as the head of the army, who is now mobilizing.
“Second, the complete closure of the Belarusian border with the Baltic states is also a possibility.
“Belarus can present a variety of reasons for that: the coronavirus pandemic, the meddling of the Baltic countries in what Lukashenko believes to be the internal affairs of Belarus, etc.”
“But more realistically, it seems to me that Belarus’s strong bias towards Russia through a new integration treaty is perhaps imminent.”
The deputy is also concerned that the dispute will halt the dialogue between Vilnius and Minsk on a new nuclear power plant. The facility in Belarus is scheduled to go live this year and is located near the border, about 45 kilometers from the Lithuanian capital.
Gentvilas is not the only one wondering whether the Baltic countries have been too quick to initiate sanctions against Minsk.
“If a neighbor’s house is on fire, a good neighbor will not rub his palms with joy, which is something our authorities do,” said another Lithuanian MP, Naglis Puteikis. “Lithuanian leaders are obviously trying too hard on the Belarus issue now.
“This is the clear continuation of former Lithuanian president Dalia Grybauskaite, who would bark at the neighbor [Belarus] every time. Sometimes it makes sense to keep your mouth shut, at least not to interfere. “
Puteikis told Euronews that it could see a replay of the elections, something the opposition movement has called for, and the presentation of a Russian candidate.
“I would not be surprised if Russia succeeds in that. She can do tricks and launch and run great political campaigns.
By intensively interfering in Belarusian affairs, Lithuania is greatly alleviating Putin’s mission in the region: to integrate Belarus into Russia.
“If we were modest like the Estonians on the issue of Belarus, we would help ourselves a lot and the Belarusians struggling to maintain their independence.”
In addition to the sanctions, Lithuania also granted a one-year visa to Lukashenko’s electoral rival, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya. Vilnius is also home to the 600-member opposition coordinating council, which calls for the resignation of the Belarusian president. Lukashenko has called the creation of the council an attempted coup.
Vilnius’ stance has led Lukashenko to threaten to divert Belarusian cargo from the Lithuanian port of Klaipeda to Russia.
“Around 14.1 million tonnes of Belarusian cargo were handled in Klaipeda last year, representing more than 30 percent of Klaipeda’s total handling volume,” said Algis Latakas, the new CEO of the port. “So far, the flow of Belarusian shipments is stable.”
The Baltic Sea port, Latakas said, contributes 6% of Lithuania’s GDP and has created up to 60,000 jobs.
But Lithuanian MEP Ausra Maldeikiene, an economist by profession, said the juxtaposition of Lithuanian interests with Belarus’ fight for democracy was “blasphemous.”
“Belarus is like the litmus test for all of us: how much we value the freedoms that we have fought for ourselves,” he said.
“The most terrible thing would be to sacrifice the Belarusian search for freedom for the interests of the port of Klaipeda.”
“Unfortunately, or fortunately, we are caught almost in the middle of the events due to our proximity to Belarus.
“Much now depends on us as well to stoke hopes for freedom among the democratic-minded Belarusians. Otherwise, we will witness Belarus become part of Russia, without the possibility of ever liberation.”
