Lithuanian Prime Minister Inga Ruginiene called for renaming the Taiwanese Representative Office in Vilnius to “Taipei Representative Office” instead, BNS reports. She argued that the decision to open the Taiwanese representation under its current name was a “hasty step,” suggesting that the mistake be corrected. However, such a move would not be a quick decision and would have to be coordinated with strategic partners, the Prime Minister added. Ruginiene insisted that renaming the Taiwanese office would not negate Lithuania’s support for democratic processes. However, Lithuania should focus on national interests rather than on “empty talk about various supposed or imagined values,” she stated.
Ruginiene’s government wants to restore full diplomatic ties with communist China, which has pressured Lithuania over the Taiwanese representation. Mindaugas Sinkevicius, chairman of the ruling Lithuanian Social Democratic Party (LSDP), assured that Lithuania would not “humiliate itself” in seeking to restore relations with China, BNS reported. Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda pointed out that the Taiwanese office was not a diplomatic representation, ELTA reported. Commenting on China’s pressure, Nauseda stressed the need for mutual respect and equal dialogue. Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry said that there were no talks under way to change the name of its representative office in Lithuania, BNS reported.