In Delhi, Lithuanian MPs laud ties with India and back Taiwan

Amid the Taiwan crisis, a Lithuanian Inter Parliamentary delegation consisting of two Ministers of Parliament (MPs) is in Delhi and is holding talks with several stakeholders with a focus on strengthening ties and the opening of the Indian embassy in the national capital, Vilnius. The delegation is led by MPs Mykolas Majauskas and Vytautas Gapšys, both of whom are members of the Group of Inter-Parliamentary Relations with India.

Speaking to WION, MP Mykolas Majauskas said, "India is a global superpower and a great democratic nation. Lithuania sees India as a stable, stable, thoughtful, and careful partner that every country would like to have. Of course, Lithuania can not only learn from the past of India but can learn from the recent past, how India managed to vaccinate a lot of people."

Mykolas is also the Chair of the Parliamentary Committee for Budget and Finance. Both the MPs held talks at the ruling BJP headquarters in Delhi on Tuesday, alongside RS Prasad, Dilip Saikia and Gaurav Bhatia. The Lithuanian delegation also met Indian MPs and business leaders in Mumbai and Bengaluru.

Earlier this year, India's cabinet approved the opening of a new embassy in Lithuania, and an Indian preparatory team has visited the country for a recce of the site. The MP pointed out, "We hope to tighten our relationship. It is very important to know that this year, there will be an Indian embassy opening in Lithuania. That shows our significance and relationship between the countries have been developing" and "we hope that it will all happen this year. That was the promise from the Indian government."

Remember that both India and Lithuania do share a common language, with Lithuanian tracing its origins from Sanskrit, and both have similar words. Both countries are also celebrating 30 years of the establishment of diplomatic ties.

Asked about if Taiwan was discussed during the meeting in Delhi, he said, "We touched on that subject. Our main principle, our main idea is we talk about the partnerships that we like to develop and the partnership we value a lot is India ''. Last year was very significant in Lithuania-Taiwan ties as the latter opened its office in the capital Vinius which angered China. A miffed Beijing recalled its envoy from Lithuania and expelled the Lithuanian envoy in the country.

On the ongoing crisis developing over Taiwan with Chinese military exercises, and what is Lithuania's view, the MP explained, "our presence here ,in Delhi, is the main message. We choose India as a stable, thoughtful, and careful partner and therefore we are here. It's a democracy, it's a country we respect, it's a country we would like to tighten our relationship. '', adding, "we do respect one China policy but that doesn't stop us from developing economic and cultural ties with Taiwan".

Interestingly, MP Vytautas Gapšys was part of a Lithuanian Parliamentary delegation to visit Taiwan last year, another sign of growing closeness between Vilnius and Taipei. On that visit, he said, "each country has the right to own economic and cultural relations and Lithuania decided that we should improve those relations with Taiwan as well, so the visit was to show we share the same values, democracy values as we share with India and the visit was a real success".

Mentioning Taiwan's semiconductor industry, he hoped his country "could learn new things from there and we have some educational exchanges as well. Our students will go to Taiwan and our professors, possibly will go to Lithuania, so I hope those practices we have in Taiwan will also be useful in developing relations with India as well".

Lithuania is the only country in the European Union to publicly back the visit of US House speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan. Currently, Lithuania's Transport and Communications Vice Minister, Agne Vaiciukeviciute, is on a visit to Taipei.

On Pelosi's visit and Chinese military exercises thereafter, he said, "of course it is a complicated situation, and we understand that it is a difficult time for Taiwan. As I mentioned, in the case of Lithuania, other countries like the US, they have the right to decide who wants to come to visit Taiwan, we respect their right. If all countries look from that point of view, no conflict will happen. Respect other country's rights as well".

Asked about China threatening Lithuania with actions, Gapšys said, "we would like to have good relationships with each country in the world. We are a sovereign country and have the right to decide with whom we have cultural and economic relations and it's our right. We understand that China takes some attention to that topic, we understand as well that the international rule of law prohibits some actions from their side as well".

The MP called India a "major partner" for Lithuania and "economic potential is a huge one", hoping the "relation will improve much more".

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