According to Russian News Agency reports dated June 19 local time, Lithuanian President Gitaunas Nauciada issued an 'ultimatum' to her foreign minister Kestutis Budris in an interview with the Lithuanian National Radio and Television Station (LRT). She said that he could retain his position only by repairing relations with China.
Nauseida said: "Regarding the normalization of relations with China and the implementation of the ambitious goals agreed upon with the Taiwan region, certain results must be achieved on these issues. If they are satisfactory and everything is normal, then I hope that Budris will continue to serve in his position. Otherwise, we will approach this issue in a different way."
Nauzeda said that he plans to discuss the retention or dismissal of Budris and other ministers with the leader of the Lithuanian Social Democratic Party, Sinkevicius, next week.
According to LRT, recently, Budrys has been criticized for not making enough efforts to restore diplomatic relations with China, and for making remarks regarding a possible NATO attack on Kaliningrad.
On June 17th, Remigijus Motuzas, chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Lithuanian Parliament, revealed to the Lithuanian "Žinių radijas" that Lithuania has agreed to the establishment of a temporary office by China in the country. "We have taken a step, which may be seen as a concession to China. As we know, when the Chinese embassy left Lithuania, it proposed the establishment of a temporary office, but we rejected that request at that time."
In 2021, Lithuania allowed the Taiwanese authorities to establish what was called a “Taiwan Representative Office”, which caused dissatisfaction among China. As a result, relations between the two countries fell into a stalemate.
In February this year, Lithuania's Prime Minister Luiginiene stated that allowing the (Taiwan side) to establish representative offices under the name "Taiwan" in Vilnius is a strategic mistake committed by Lithuania.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian stated that China has repeatedly expressed its stance on the neutral relationship. The door to communication between both parties is always open, and it is hoped that the other party will translate its willingness to improve bilateral relations into actual actions, correct its mistakes as soon as possible, return to the right track of adhering to the one-China principle, and create conditions for the normalization of the neutral relationship.
