ISTANBUL

Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko has instructed the Foreign Ministry to initiate talks with Lithuanian officials to normalize the situation at the shared border, the presidential press service said Tuesday.

According to the statement, Lukashenko received reports from State Border Committee Chairman Gen. Konstantin Molostov, Foreign Minister Maksim Ryzhenkov, and KGB Chairman Gen. Ivan Tertel regarding the situation on the Belarusian-Lithuanian and Belarusian-Polish borders.

“Taking into account the request from the Lithuanian side, the president instructed the minister of foreign affairs to organize negotiations on normalizing the situation and resuming the full functioning of checkpoints,” the statement said.

State Secretary of the Security Council Alexander Volfovich was also assigned to coordinate interdepartmental efforts and support the negotiation process.