BELARUS READY TO DISCUSS PROBLEMATIC ISSUES WITH LITHUANIA, WITHOUT PRECONDITIONS

ISTANBUL, March 28 (Bernama-Anadolu) -- Belarus is ready to discuss any problematic issues with Lithuania without preconditions, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ruslan Varankou said Friday, Anadolu Ajansi reported, citing a local broadcaster.

A statement came after Lithuanian Prime Minister Inga Ruginiene said that Vilnius would consider a meeting with Belarusian representatives at the deputy foreign minister level only if Minsk meets certain conditions.

She told public broadcaster LRT that halting weather balloon flights across the border, returning trucks detained in Belarus without fines and stopping the flow of illegal migrants are the conditions for the meeting, initiated by US Special Envoy to Belarus John Coale.

Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda, meanwhile, said Friday that dialogue with Belarus is possible if Minsk shows “genuine goodwill".

Varankou stated that the “artificial ultimatums” that Vilnius is attempting to put forward “have nothing to do with good neighbourliness or normal diplomatic practice.”

“We are ready to consider such proposals, but not at anyone’s dictation,” according to the Belarusian Foreign Ministry statement, citing Varankou.

“If we are to speak of 'neighbourly goodwill', the Lithuanian side currently faces many questions that Lithuanian society demands answers to – ranging from border operations and the ability to visit relatives or tend to the graves of loved ones, to severed business ties with Belarus,” he added.

“If our Lithuanian colleagues are not currently inclined toward an equal conversation and prefer to publicly list demands instead of sitting down at the negotiating table – well, the refusal to resolve accumulated issues remains on their conscience. For our part, openness to constructive dialogue remains,” he added.

-- BERNAMA-ANADOLU