However, it reserved the right to cancel the decision unilaterally.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania supports the updated rules of the European Commission from the Kaliningrad transit and undertakes to prevent violations of EU sanctions.
“Lithuania will effectively ensure the application of sanctions through careful monitoring, principled assessment and effective verification of whether Russia is trying to abuse transit opportunities”, – the Lithuanian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.
The ministry noted that the previous EU rules, which assumed a complete ban on the transit of sanctioned goods through the Kaliningrad region, were the most acceptable, but Lithuania supports the new interpretation published by the European Commission.
The European Union said on Wednesday that Lithuania must required to allow the transportation of goods subject to sanctions, except for weapons, between Russia and its exclave of Kaliningrad.
After protests and threats from Moscow, the EU Commission developed new rules for transit traffic between Russia and its Baltic Sea exclave of Kaliningrad. According to this, Russia is allowed to transport civilian goods, which are on the sanctions list, through the EU country Lithuania by rail without serious restrictions. However, according to the document published today, road transport by Russian freight forwarders through the territory of the EU is still prohibited. In addition, goods that can also be used for military purposes cannot be transported by rail.
The government in Moscow previously accused Lithuania of illegally restricting the movement of goods between Russia and Kaliningrad. The exclave around the former Königsberg is located between the EU states Lithuania and Poland. It is only about 500 kilometers from Berlin, but more than 1000 kilometers from Moscow. The subject of the dispute are goods included in EU sanctions lists, including iron and steel products, as well as fertilizers, wood and cement.
Russia has threatened reprisalsagainst the Baltic nation after Vilnius imposed strict restrictions on the movement of goods through its territory, mainly by rail, claiming it was simply enforcing EU sanctions.
Moscow is demanding Lithuania lift the restrictions immediately and has said it has lodged a complaint European authorities.
Read also: the US declared its support for Lithuania in its dispute with Russia due to the transit of goods to Kaliningrad
“We did not hold any negotiations with Russia”, – said the official representative of the EU Eric Mamer after the guidance was released.
The Commission stated that Lithuania, like all EU countries, is obliged to “prevent all possible forms of circumvention of EU restrictive measures”.
This should be done through “targeted, proportionate and effective controls and other appropriate measures “, said the commission that oversees the implementation of EU sanctions.
According to him, inspections will monitor any “unusual flows or trade patterns” that would indicate a violation of sanctions.
Kaliningrad occupies an area about half the area of Switzerland and is home to just over a million people.
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