Gintaras Bagdonas, the former head of Lithuanian military intelligence, said the country would be safer if the Russian railway track running through its territory was dismantled.
Many “hotheads” supported the idea and suggested dismantling the rails leading to Kaliningrad, the news outlet writes. LETA. However, Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte urged not to forget about the Lithuanian treaty, EU and Russia via Kaliningrad transit. On Monday, in the Sejm, she stated:
“This is not a question of the near future. I understand that everyone is getting excited about the transportation of sanctioned goods, but I suggest not to forget that there is also an agreement between the Republic of Lithuania, the European Union and the Russian Federation on a simplified transit procedure for citizens. I understand that hotheads have all sorts of suggestions on who to turn the pipe, who to cut off the rails, who wants to do something else, but these are not the issues that the government will discuss.”
The vague formulations of the European Commission led to the transit problems of Latvia and Russia. Last week, she gave permission to transport sanctioned goods by rail to and from the Kaliningrad region through Lithuania. After that, daring proposals appeared on the dismantling of the Russian track laid across Lithuania.
Our publication reported that, despite the warning from Russia, on July 10, Lithuania expanded restrictions for the transit of goods to Kaliningrad, including alcohol and cement in the list. The ban on the import of goods of Russian origin into the territory that came into force EU, provided for by the fourth package of EU sanctions, does not contain exceptions for transit to Koliningrad. According to a representative of the Lithuanian customs, this is a ban on the transit of cement, wood, alcohol and alcohol-based industrial chemicals. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania, at the same time, emphasizes that land transit between the Kaliningrad region and other regions of the Russian Federation is not blocked.
In response to the actions of Lithuania, Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation Nikolai Patrushev declaredthat the country will fight back. Several Russian departments are jointly discussing the measures that will be introduced in the near future.
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