The owner of the logistics company "Velsona" and a member of the Lithuanian Carriers Association Vitalijus Gigevičius spoke to the Lithuanian public portal LRT about the situation at the Lithuanian-Belarusian border.
According to Gigevičius, 12 trailers and 5 trucks belonging to his company are currently stuck in Belarus. "Our route is completely paralyzed. Thirty percent of the cargo is transiting through Belarus. If these 30% are gone, the remaining 70% will also be affected. The transit sector of Lithuania is losing its status because there is less and less cargo," he said.
The businessman notes that drivers who found themselves on Belarusian territory are forced to live right in their trucks, even though they are not far from the border.
He adds that the Belarusian side is trying to alleviate the situation, but the conditions remain harsh. "They go to the store for food; the conditions are field-like. The Belarusian side is trying to take some steps towards the drivers to transition to more humane conditions. Drivers periodically go home to wash, shave, and then return to the truck to stay in it," Gigevičius says.
According to him, carriers cannot leave their equipment unattended as they hope for the border to open soon.
He believes that Lithuania is acting to the detriment of its carriers in the current situation. "Why is Lithuania showing strength at this moment, throwing us out of the game and leaving Latvians and Poles in it? Why haven’t all three countries – Lithuania, Latvia, and Poland – united and organized a boycott? Why were we excluded from the game when we did not break any rules? We did not circumvent the sanctions; we strictly checked each vehicle. We were simply thrown out of this game. Our earnings and contracts have gone to our neighbors. The Poles have doubled or even tripled their transportation prices," Gigevičius says.
He states that the autumn season is traditionally the peak income period in the industry, but this year it has been disrupted. "Before the New Year, we were looking forward to this period – it’s our star hour. From September until the New Year. Instead of this star hour, we received a huge hole in the companies' budgets. Why were our interests not taken into account in this situation?" the interviewee questions.
Lithuanian Prime Minister: "The excessive emotional background of the carriers is somewhat unfair"
With about a thousand trucks and semi-trailers stuck in Belarus, and dissatisfied carriers considering blocking roads in Lithuania, Prime Minister Inga Ruginienė believes that such a reaction from businesses operating in hostile countries is exaggerated and unfair.
Inga Ruginienė emphasizes that carriers should have weighed the possible risks and prepared for them. "The excessive emotional background of the carriers is somewhat unfair. We talked about this, we said that we need to prepare for it," Ruginienė said on LRT Radio on Wednesday.
"Such a situation is indeed perceived painfully, but the question is this: if our businesses have business relations with Belarus or countries sympathetic to Russia, we must weigh the risks," she added.
