“We are concerned and we think that something is definitely going on. It’s just that we are not raising an unnecessary scare since we don’t know what is really going on. Our experience with such checks, which is not too good, shows that we have to remain calm and should not panic and, once we find out what the real situation is, to find solutions,” he told the Žinių radijas on Monday.
Rumours unfavourable for Lithuania’s businesses were spreading in Russia, Kondrusevičius said.
“Rumours are starting to spread among Russia’s importers that it’s not allowed to load Lithuanian trucks, goods from Lithuania. Such rumours are definitely not the best ally for Lithuania’s businesses and we are trying not to encourage them,” he added.
According to Kondrusevičius, businesses had repeatedly suffered from political or geopolitical collisions but were always trying to look for other solutions.
Lithuania’s carriers were much focused on Russia and therefore found it difficult to quickly move away from that market, he said, adding that both the carriers and the authorities were trying hard to “speed up” in other markets.
“For example, last week we visited Kazakhstan … and agreed on larger permit quotas. We are looking around gradually. However, as long as it is possible, we are also trying to keep working in the market that is challenging,” Kondrusevičius said.
As reported by border officials, Russia on Friday night restricted entry of cars with Lithuanian license plates. Meanwhile, the Russian side has said that problems are caused by malfunctions of the new customs information system.
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