“The European sanctions are in effect, they are valid until February next year. Last year, when discussions about Belarusian fertilizers took place, I said that I am more than 100 percent sure that the sanctions will be extended. It is not worth wasting breath and speculating about fertilizer transportation,” J. Taminskas said to Žinių radijas on Thursday.
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The minister insists that he has not experienced any pressure to renew the transit of Belarusian fertilizers through Lithuania.
“I have not experienced any pressure, I have not received any letters. If others have received letters or experienced pressure, they should speak out about what kind of pressure they are experiencing,” he said.
Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys said last week that there is currently no reason to review the EU sanctions on Belarusian potash fertilizers, although this issue is being discussed with the United States.
The head of Lithuanian diplomacy emphasized that to make decisions related to the mentioned sanctions, the unanimous consent of the 27 EU countries is mandatory, and discussions about lifting them without legal and political conditions are a “waste of time.”
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said last week that as long as the reasons for imposing European sanctions on Belarusian fertilizers have not changed, there is no basis to lift them.
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“Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty” reported last week that US officials are asking Lithuania, Poland, and Ukraine to lift sanctions on Belarusian potash fertilizers to allow the transit of this product through their territories.
Since February 1, 2022, Lithuania has suspended the transit of Belarusian potash fertilizers after the US imposed sanctions in 2021 on Belarus’s largest potash fertilizer producer, Belaruskalij, in response to human rights violations in Belarus.
This year, the US lifted these sanctions when the Alexander Lukashenko regime released some political prisoners. Despite this, Lithuania continues to restrict fertilizer transit because the EU later imposed similar restrictions following the US decision.
K. Budrys earlier in May spoke about pressure from the US regarding Belarusian fertilizer transit during a closed meeting of the Social Democratic Party faction. This was confirmed to BNS by several politicians who participated, speaking on condition of anonymity.
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