On August 28, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko threatened to redirect all of his country’s trade flows as well as the transit of foreign goods across its territory from Lithuanian ports to Ust-Luga and Primorsk, in Russia’s Leningrad Oblast, if Europe were to impose anti-Belarus sanctions. In particular, Belarus would stop utilizing the Lithuanian port of Klaipeda to ship its exports (mainly potassium chloride and oil products) to global markets. Indeed, on Sept. 7, the Belarusian state petrochemical concern Belneftekhim confirmed that negotiations are apparently underway on the re-direction of export flows of Belarusian refined oil products from Lithuania to Russian ports.
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Alla Hurska: Lukashenko threatens to shut Belarusian-Baltic transit routes
The liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal "Independence" is docked in the port of Klaipeda, Lithuania, on Oct. 27, 2014.
