ISTANBUL

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko on Tuesday described neighboring Lithuania’s plans to close the border between the two countries as a “crazy scam.”

On Monday, Lithuanian Prime Minister Inga Ruginiene announced plans to close the country’s border with Belarus indefinitely and shoot down any balloons violating its airspace, following four such incidents in a week.

In an address at the 3rd International Conference on Eurasian Security in the Belarusian capital Minsk, Lukashenko said the move was anticipated not only by his country but also by its “opponents.”

“This was precisely the goal some of our neighbors had in mind when they pulled off this crazy border closure scam. And the pretext they came up with was absurd—balloons. Even for a small country like Lithuania, this is trivial,” Lukashenko was quoted as saying by state news agency Belta.

He said Belarus will respond “as best we can” to attempts to establish “overwhelming military superiority” on its borders, as well as efforts to undermine the country’s economy and “subjugate Minsk to someone else’s will.”

Regarding ties with the West, Lukashenko said Belarus does not consider itself to blame for their deterioration, but is ready to work together for peace.

He also rejected accusations that Belarus is using migration as a weapon and described sanctions imposed on Minsk as “a noose around the neck of the Belarusian people.”

The Belarusian president denied that his country and Russia harbor any aggressive intentions toward European nations and accused Western politicians of leading their countries toward “self-isolation.”

He said the EU should play a key role in the emerging multipolar world order but expressed doubt about its ability to do so.