MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 21st July, 2021) Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said that Brussels must prepare a set of measures against Moscow's possible provocations in regions bordering the European Union, referring to issues with Belarus, the foreign ministry said on Wednesday.
The top diplomat met with EU Ambassadors on Tuesday, according to the statement.
"The EU should prepare a response plan for Russia's possible provocations in the EU's eastern neighbourhood or those during the Zapad 2021 Russian-Belarusian military exercise," Landsbergis was quoted as saying by his ministry.
The West 2021 drills will be held on the territories of Russia and Belarus from September 10-16. The exercise is expected to test the readiness of both armies for a scenario of military and political escalation against the Union State of Russia and Belarus.
In addition, the minister outlined the risks of such provocations amid the migration crisis in Lithuania.
On July 2, the Lithuanian government declared an emergency over the influx of illegal migrants from Belarus seeking to enter the EU. Vilnius has blamed Minsk for facilitating the transit of refugees to the bloc's member states through its territory and began to seek aid from Brusells to contain the crisis.
For his part, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said that his country was unable to deal with the migration issue due to Western sanctions. However, he later agreed to cooperate on a paid basis.
