The transit of Belarusian potash has been redirected to Russian ports after the suspension of deliveries through Lithuania to the port of Klaipeda. This was stated by the Prime Minister of Belarus Roman Golovchenko.
He explained that the Lithuanian side stopped accepting Belarusian trains that transported potash to the port of Klaipeda for shipment. Golovchenko stressed that in this way Lithuania violated the intergovernmental agreement on railway communication, as well as the conditions of other documents.
In this regard, Belarus has reoriented the transit of potassium exports from Lithuania to Russia. Golovchenko noted that in terms of logistics, the Russian route is less marginal, but due to the global price increase, Belaruskali will even win.
The prime minister explained that Belarus had made a proposal to Lithuania to hold consultations and determine further relations on this issue. He noted that Belarus “offered a variant” and, if they do not respond to it in the coming days, retaliatory measures will be introduced.
“The response will be tough. We, as they say, will respond symmetrically. The decision has been made, it will affect the railway transport that follows from the territory of Lithuania,” BelTA quotes Golovchenko as saying.
The Lithuanian state-owned company Lithuanian Railways (LZhD) on January 19 officially informed Belaruskali about the termination of the contract on the transit of Belarusian fertilizers through Lithuania to the Klaipeda seaport.
In turn, the President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko instructed to introduce retaliatory measures in case of cargo blocking in Lithuania. He also drew attention to the fact that Minsk is ready for dialogue with the Lithuanian side.
On January 12, it became known that the Lithuanian government terminated the agreement on railway transit of Belarusian potash fertilizers through the country. At the same time, in December 2021, it was reported that the Lithuanian Ministry of Transport had prepared a bill prohibiting the transportation of goods from Belarus through the country. However, during the specified period, the transportation was not suspended.
Source: IZ
Jane Stock is a technology author, who has written for 24 Hours World. She writes about the latest in technology news and trends, and is always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to improve his audience’s experience.
