Washington [US], January 4 (ANI): US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and the representatives of the Bucharest Nine group on Monday (local time) highlighted their solidarity with Lithuania amid escalating political pressure and economic coercion by China.
“They (Secretary Blinken and Foreign Ministers of various countries included in Bucharest 9 group) also highlighted their solidarity with Lithuania in the face of escalating political pressure and economic coercion by the People’s Republic of China,” said State Department spokesperson Ned Price in a statement on Monday (local time).
The tensions have erupted between China and the Baltic nation when in November Lithuania angered China by allowing Taiwan to open a representative office in Vilnius, equivalent to an embassy. It escalated in recent times after Lithuania took steps to strengthen ties with Taiwan. China considers Taiwan as its integral part.
According to a report, Lithuania needs the support of the West and other foreign powers to counter Chinese aggression as it seems to be struggling almost alone against one of the world’s economic and political superpowers.
According to the Hong Kong Post, Lithuania finds itself at the forefront of countries that identify China as the greatest threat as it dared to openly oppose Chinese President Xi Jinping’s autocracy and Beijing’s aggressive behavior.
The representative office opened with the name “Taiwan Representative Office in Lithuania“, thereby implicitly implying recognition of a legal entity separate from the mainland. Beijing attacked Lithuania by lowering its diplomatic relations with Lithuania.
In addition, this month Beijing also demanded that Lithuanian officials surrender their identity documents in order to downgrade their diplomatic status. The demand was such a serious concern for Lithuania that Vilnius withdrew its remaining diplomats from China in mid-December, fearing for their safety.
Further, China has suspended the movement of freight trains connecting Vilnius as part of China‘s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). It stopped processing Lithuanian food export license applications, according to Hong Kong Post. (ANI)
Blinken, Turkish Foreign Minister discuss coordination efforts amid threat of Russian escalation in Ukraine: State Dept
Washington [US], January 4 (ANI): US Secretary of State Antony Blinken discussed with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu coordination efforts regarding the threat of Russian escalation in Ukraine as well as the normalization process with Armenia, said State Department spokesperson Ned Price in a statement on Monday (local time).
“Secretary Blinken and Foreign Minister Cavusoglu discussed the importance of continued coordination regarding the threat of Russian escalation in Ukraine. They also discussed issues related to the Horn of Africa, Turkey’s appointment of a Special Envoy to discuss the process of normalization with Armenia,” Price said.
The two diplomats also discussed ways to deepen bilateral cooperation as NATO allies in areas of mutual concern, he added in the statement issued by US State Department.
Yesterday, US President Joe Biden told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a call that the United States and its allies will “respond decisively” if Russia invades Ukraine. In a White House statement, President Biden expressed support for diplomatic efforts, starting next week with the bilateral Strategic Stability Dialogue, at NATO through the NATO-Russia Council, and at the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.
The call comes days before Russian and US officials are set to meet in person in Geneva on January 10 amid a Russian military buildup on the Ukraine border and ongoing tensions. The US and NATO have voiced concerns over Russia’s alleged preparations for invading Ukraine. Moscow has repeatedly denied the accusations, saying that Russia has the right to relocate the troops within its territory at its own discretion, while NATO’s military activity near Russian borders poses a threat to its security. (ANI)
