The decision was taken after a government meeting on the same day.
Prime Minister Lithuania Inga Ruginiene said there are some threats to Lithuania in Belarus, so closing the border is necessary to ensure national security.
Citizen security is an undeniable priority for the government, said Ruginiene.
However, Lithuania has maintained exemptions for European Union (EU) citizens, third-country citizens with temporary residence permits in the EU, or diplomats in transit.
The announcement of closing the border with Belarus was issued by the Lithuanian Foreign Ministry on October 27, along with accusations that Belarus has continuously violated its airspace.
According to Prime Minister Lithuania Inga Ruginiene, "dozens of heli gas hot air balloons" from Belarus have entered Lithuania's airspace in recent days.
Ms. Ruginiene said that this is a move to challenge the resilience of the European Union (EU) and NATO to mixed threats and called for a "unified and resolute response" to airspace violations.
The female Prime Minister stressed that the Lithuanian armed forces will take "all necessary measures" to shoot down air balloons that are entering the airspace.
In response, on October 28, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said that Lithuania had disseminated false information about the frequency of dense airinfringement by hot air balloons from Belarus.
This is just a funny excuse, the Belarus leader told reporters in an interview.
Meanwhile, the Belarus Foreign Ministry sent a statement of protest to Lithuania.
"This violates civil rights and the principles of freedom of movement. Belarus supports practical dialogue and cooperation" - the Belarusese Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasized in a post on social network X.
