The Lithuanian Foreign Ministry decided to recall six more of its diplomats from Minsk and Hrodna in connection with the ultimatum of the Belarusian authorities.
“Taking into account the ultimatum demands and recalling six more diplomats from Minsk and Hrodna, we are striving to stop the process of limiting diplomatic contacts,” Rasa Jakilaitene, a spokesman for the Lithuanian Foreign Ministry, told BNS.
According to her, the Belarusian side did not take into account the compromise proposals and continued to demand a reduction in the number of Lithuanian diplomats, and if Lithuania did not agree, they intended to declare the diplomats working in Belarus persona non grata.
Rasa Jakilaitene noted that the EU foreign ministers on Monday supported the decision to expand the list of Belarusian officials subject to sanctions by another 10 people, including Alyaksandr Lukashenka.
On October 2, Belarus recalled its ambassadors from Vilnius and Warsaw and called on Lithuania and Poland to recall theirs from Minsk, as well as to reduce the number of diplomatic personnel. They demanded that Lithuania withdrew 11 diplomats, and Poland — 32.
Expressing solidarity with Lithuania and Poland, most EU countries and Great Britain recalled their ambassadors from Minsk.
