Vilnius: The Lithuanian government has announced its decision to reopen border crossings with Belarus earlier than the originally scheduled date of November 30. This decision was revealed by officials on Wednesday, as reported by public broadcaster LRT. The reopening is set to commence on Thursday, following a Cabinet meeting led by Lithuanian Interior Minister Vladislavas Kondratovicius.

According to Anadolu Agency, Kondratovicius informed the Cabinet that the Salcininkai-Benekainys and Medininkai-Kamenyj Log crossing points, which were temporarily closed for a month starting October 29, will resume operations. The closures were initially implemented due to a series of incidents involving helium balloons from Belarus entering Lithuanian airspace, which prompted the shutdown of airports and border points.

Kondratovicius explained that the decision to reopen the borders came after the National Security Commission's decisions on November 18. He stated that the situation had changed, and the border restrictions were no longer necessary for maintaining domestic security. 'It is therefore appropriate to lift the restrictions on crossing the border set out in the government resolution,' Kondratovicius added.

Lithuania's move to reopen its border crossings follows a similar decision by Poland, which also reopened two border crossings with Belarus on Monday. These crossings had been closed in recent years due to deteriorating relations between Poland and Belarus, a Russian ally.