Lithuanian foreign minister to meet with Lukashenka?

A meeting between Linas Linkevičius and the Belarusian dictator may take place in October.

The statement was made by Prime Minister Algirdas Butkevičius. He said a possibility of the meeting was confirmed on Wednesday, Interfax reports.

“We received a very good signal yesterday that minister Linkevičius would meeting with Belarusian president Lukashenka this month,” the Lithuanian PM said Thursday during the Government Hour in the Seimas.

The head of the Lithuanian government said it answering a question of Algimantas Dumbrava, the chairman of the Order and Justice party, who asked when the Lithuianian-Belarusian agreement on local border traffic would take effect.

Butkevičius said Lithuania had sent Belarus several requests relating to the agreement. He expressed a hope that the meeting of Linkevičius and Lukashenka would end the stalemate.

Lithuania and Belarus signed the agreement on facilitating border crossing for residents of the border areas in October 2010. The agreement was ratified in February 2011. Under the document, people living within 50 km from the border can cross the border with special permits. Permits will be issued to residents of border areas who can economic, trade, cultural or other reasons to visit the border area of a foreign state.

The border area include Vilnius, Ignalina, Varena and Druskininkai in Lithuania and Hrodna, Lida and Ashmiany in Belarus.

About 600,000 Belarusians and 800,000 Lithuanians have the theoretical right to use simplified border crossing procedures.

We remind that Lukashenka and some hundreds of Belarusian officials and oligarchs are banned from entering the European Union for repression against the opposition.