MINSK, August 21. /TASS/. Minsk will respond to Lithuania’s move to close border checkpoints in a calm, responsible and pragmatic manner, the Belarusian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

"Belarus will respond to Lithuania's move in a calm, responsible and pragmatic manner, particularly in the interests of residents of neighboring countries. There are currently no plans to somehow change visa-free travel rules due to the increasing burden on the checkpoints that continue to operate," the statement reads.

The Belarusian Foreign Ministry pointed out that "Lithuania's decision to temporarily shut down the Losha-Shumkas and Vidzy-Tverecius checkpoints under false pretenses stem from a politically motivated desire to create obstacles for its own people, particularly those who regularly travel to Belarus, taking advantage of the visa-free travel rules."

"Vilnius has long been trying in vain to prevent Lithuanians from traveling to our country, inventing fake Cold War-style threats with the sole goal of concealing the truth about the situation in Belarus, an inconvenience for Lithuanian authorities as it stands in stark contrast to both Western propaganda and the situation in Lithuania itself," the Belarusian Foreign Ministry stressed.

Minsk called on Vilnius "to abandon the practice of creating artificial barriers for individuals and businessmen not only in Belarus and Lithuania but in the European Union in general."

On August 18, Lithuania suspended the operation of two out of six road checkpoints on the border with Belarus, citing the geopolitical situation and threats to national security. Minsk slammed Vilnius’ actions as another unfriendly step.

According to the Belarusian State Border Committee, over 685,000 residents from Lithuania, Latvia and Poland have used the right of visa-free entry to Belarus since 2022, most of them being Lithuanian nationals.