According to Conservative Party leader Laurynas Kasčiūnas, Lithuania's foreign minister should be doing real work rather than engaging in diplomacy on social media.
„We have not heard whether you have agreed with the Poles and Latvians to maintain a united front or not (...). The Poles have a completely different approach; they have just opened their offices and are playing a more American game.
It is already objective and obvious that if we do not form this coalition fund at least in the region, it is clear that we will be left alone,“ Kasčiūnas said on Wednesday at a joint meeting of the opposition factions in the Seimas.
He also noted that Washington has a different approach to relations with Belarus. The politician acknowledged that the European agenda presented by Budrys sounds interesting, but it is precisely the United States' (US) role that may complicate the Community's decision-making.
„This is where you, as the head of diplomacy, should focus most of your attention. In other words, on real decisions, on practical matters, not just on verbal solidarity. There are real decisions that can be leveraged,“ said Kasčiūnas.
„This is my sincere wish to see real work done, not just Twitter diplomacy,“ the parliamentarian concluded.
For his part, Budrys disagreed with Kasčiūnas' criticism.
„I completely disagree with your assessment that we are alone, abandoned, that nothing is working. This is neither subjective nor objective. We have support,“ Budrys replied to the Conservative.
Liberal leader Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen said she had no doubt about the minister's efforts in the international arena, but noted that there seemed to be no unified position within the government on sanctions against Belarus.
Meanwhile, Saulius Skvernelis, Chairman of the Democratic Party faction Vardan Lietuvos (In the Name of Lithuania), asked whether the head of diplomacy had received approval from the coalition for stricter sanctions against Belarus. According to the Democratic leader, there are politicians in the ruling party whose positions on Belarus are questionable.
Budrys assured that everything in the Cabinet of Ministers is coordinated and that decisions are communicated among themselves.
„Everything is definitely coordinated; we communicate both directly and through the National Crisis Management Centre (NKVC), which centralises both information and decisions. I don't see any major obstacles here,“ he said.
As announced, due to the intensification of the flow of contraband balloons from Belarus, which has repeatedly disrupted airport operations, the government has closed the last border control points (BCPs) with Belarus in Medininkai and Šalčininkai for October, until midnight on November 30.
After the border was closed, about a thousand Lithuanian company trucks were stranded in Belarusian territory and are currently being held in Belarusian parking lots, not allowed to return to Lithuania.
Last week, the BCPs were reopened, but at the beginning of this week, after signals indicating a flight towards Vilnius Airport were detected in Lithuanian airspace, the airport was closed twice.
The decision to suspend flights was based on signals detected by the navigation system, which are characteristic of balloons moving toward Vilnius Airport.
Prime Minister Inga Ruginienė said on Monday that if the situation with Belarus does not change, a decision may be made to reopen the border.
ELTA reminds us that this is one of many cases where the operation of Vilnius Airport has been suspended due to the threat of smuggled balloons from Belarus.