Lithuania proposes terminating border crossing agreement with Belarus

The Lithuanian government has proposed ending a 2010 agreement with Belarus that was meant to simplify cross-border travel for residents living near the shared frontier, LRT reports.

During a meeting on Wednesday, the cabinet approved a decision to ask President Gitanas Nausėda to submit a proposal to parliament to denounce the treaty with Minsk. The agreement, signed 16 years ago, never entered into force.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Belarus never completed its internal procedures to ratify the deal, rendering it obsolete. “No notification has been received from the Republic of Belarus regarding the completion of their domestic procedures during this period,” the ministry stated.

The agreement was intended to allow residents of border areas to cross the Lithuanian-Belarusian state border using special local travel permits and stay in the neighbouring country’s border zone for up to 90 days within a six-month period. Lithuania ratified the treaty in 2011, which included a clause permitting unilateral termination.

If parliament approves the denouncement, Belarus will be formally notified through diplomatic channels. Lithuania has previously terminated several agreements with Russia and Belarus amid the ongoing war in Ukraine.