Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis urged his European colleagues to protest to the Chinese ambassadors in connection with the statement of the Chinese Ambassador to Paris Lu Shaye, in particular, about the sovereignty of the countries of the former USSR.
⠀
Earlier, Chinese Ambassador to France Lou Shaye, in an interview with LCI TV channel, said that Crimea “was originally Russian, and then Khrushchev gave it to Ukraine.” The Chinese Ambassador to France expressed the opinion that the Americans are not interested in ending the conflict in Ukraine. He also questioned the sovereignty of the countries of the former USSR, noting that they “do not have a valid status in international law, because there is no international agreement that would specify their status as sovereign countries.” In turn, about 80 European parliamentarians in a letter called on French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna to declare the Chinese ambassador persona non grata, the Monde newspaper writes. On Monday, the Chinese Foreign Ministry, commenting on the words of Lu Shae, stressed that China respects the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of all former Soviet republics.
⠀
“We expect our partners to support us in every possible way, that is, other capitals can call ambassadors and say that they do not accept such statements, or ask for clarification. And we have seen this, I am grateful to the countries that have already done this, like the Czech Republic and others. As always, in this case we ask for solidarity, because this is something new, we have not seen this before,” Landsbergis said before the start of the meeting of EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg. The broadcast was conducted on the website of the European Commission.
⠀
He recalled that the ministries of foreign affairs of all three Baltic countries had decided to call the Chinese ambassadors and protest to them.
⠀
Landsbergis also responded to a question about the prospects for Beijing’s peace plan to resolve the Ukraine, noting that Lithuania “always said it did not trust China as a potential mediator.”
