<p>Diana Mickevičienė, the&nbsp;Lithuanian ambassador to India, called recent remarks by the Chinese ambassador to France on former&nbsp;Soviet nations as "unacceptable".&nbsp;Chinese ambassador Lu Shaye had caused waves of criticism after he questioned ex-Soviet nations over their sovereignty.</p>

<p>Amid the outrage, China caved in as its foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said that Beijing "respects the sovereign state status of the participating republics after the dissolution of the Soviet Union".&nbsp;</p>

<p>WION's Sidhant Sibal spoke to Mickevičienė, who was also Lithuania's last Ambassador to China, about the Chinese envoy's controversial remarks.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Asked about Lu's comments, Mickevičienė said: "We really reacted with lots of concerns. You may have seen my foreign minister as well as many foreign ministers from Europe rejecting that statement of the ambassador of China in France."<br />
She said the Chinese narrative is "totally hostile against international law and the UN charter."&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/china-respects-ex-soviet-states-ex-soviet-states-as-sovereign-nations-amid-outrage-585634">China caves in after outrage, says it respects ex-Soviet states as sovereign nations</a>&nbsp;</strong></p>

<p>She further added that "as we speak, Chinese envoys of number countries are summoned to give wider explanation."&nbsp;</p>

<p>She argued that such a statement "not only derail the international law in large but repeat a narrative of the aggressive country and it's very unfortunate".&nbsp;</p>

<p>"This is unacceptable, China should explain it," she noted.&nbsp;</p>

<p>On being asked about all the questions related to the Chinese role as a neutral arbitrator, she said, "I have already referred to the chronology in 2022 when Beijing hosted the Olympics and post that Russia started the war [in Ukraine], we also have a look into the wider security initiative that China has presented to us."&nbsp;</p>

<p>"This global security initiative is not good for a small state like us because it basically talked about zones of influence and this is the problem...we feel our sovereignty has been really compromised by the statement," she mentioned.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Watch the interview here:&nbsp;</strong></p>

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<h2><strong>What did Lu Shaye say?&nbsp;</strong></h2>

<p>During an interview aired on French television on Friday, Lu said that the countries that emerged after the fall of the Soviet Union "don't have effective status under international law because there is not an international agreement confirming their status as sovereign nations". The comments led to outrage across Europe as France and the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have also condemned the official.&nbsp;</p>

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Diana Mickevičienė, the Lithuanian ambassador to India, called recent remarks by the Chinese ambassador to France on former Soviet nations as "unacceptable". Chinese ambassador Lu Shaye had caused waves of criticism after he questioned ex-Soviet nations over their sovereignty.

Diana Mickevičienė, the Lithuanian ambassador to India, called recent remarks by the Chinese ambassador to France on former Soviet nations as "unacceptable". Chinese ambassador Lu Shaye had caused waves of criticism after he questioned ex-Soviet nations over their sovereignty. Amid the outrage, China caved in as its foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said that Beijing "respects the sovereign state status of the participating republics after the dissolution of the Soviet Union". WION's Sidhant Sibal spoke to Mickevičienė, who was also Lithuania's last Ambassador to China, about the Chinese envoy's controversial remarks. Asked about Lu's comments, Mickevičienė said: "We really reacted with lots of concerns. You may have seen my foreign minister as well as many foreign ministers from Europe rejecting that statement of the ambassador of China in France." She said the Chinese narrative is "totally hostile against international law and the UN charter." ALSO READ | China caves in after outrage, says it respects ex-Soviet states as sovereign nations She further added that "as we speak, Chinese envoys of number countries are summoned to give wider explanation." She argued that such a statement "not only derail the international law in large but repeat a narrative of the aggressive country and it's very unfortunate". "This is unacceptable, China should explain it," she noted. On being asked about all the questions related to the Chinese role as a neutral arbitrator, she said, "I have already referred to the chronology in 2022 when Beijing hosted the Olympics and post that Russia started the war [in Ukraine], we also have a look into the wider security initiative that China has presented to us." "This global security initiative is not good for a small state like us because it basically talked about zones of influence and this is the problem...we feel our sovereignty has been really compromised by the statement," she mentioned. Watch the interview here: × What did Lu Shaye say? During an interview aired on French television on Friday, Lu said that the countries that emerged after the fall of the Soviet Union "don't have effective status under international law because there is not an international agreement confirming their status as sovereign nations". The comments led to outrage across Europe as France and the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have also condemned the official. WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Lithuania's envoy calls Chinese ambassador's comment on ex-Soviet states 'unacceptable'

<p>Amid furore caused by an envoy's remarks, China conceded on Monday (April 24) that it respected the "sovereign state status" of all ex-Soviet countries. The remarks from the Chinese foreign ministry came after Ukraine slammed the "absurd" remarks by China’s ambassador to France on ex-Soviet nations, who basically questioned their sovereignty. Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning told reporters that Beijing "respects the sovereign state status of the participating republics after the dissolution of the Soviet Union."</p>

<p>The remarks over sovereignty were made by Lu Shaye as he suggested that the countries that emerged after the fall of the Soviet Union "don't have effective status under international law because there is not an international agreement confirming their status as sovereign nations."&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/global-military-expenditure-reaches-new-record-high-in-2022-585572">Global military expenditure reaches new record high in 2022</a>&nbsp;</strong></p>

<p>His remarks came during an interview which aired on French television on Friday. The comments sparked a wave of outrage across Europe as France and the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have also condemned the official.&nbsp;</p>

<p>European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said that the remarks were "unacceptable". Borrell further added in a tweet that the EU "can only suppose these declarations do not represent China's official policy."&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Watch this report:</strong>&nbsp;</p>

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<p>In a response to the controversy, Mao told journalists: "China respects the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of all countries and upholds the purposes and principles of the UN Charter. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, China was one of the first countries to establish diplomatic relations with relevant countries."&nbsp;</p>

<p>"Since the establishment of diplomatic ties, China has always adhered to the principle of mutual respect and equality to develop bilateral, friendly and cooperative relations," the Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman further added.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"The Chinese side respects the status of the member states as sovereign states after the dissolution of the Soviet Union."</p>

<p>While responding to a reporter, Mao said, "The country you mentioned (Ukraine) is a full member of the United Nations, and only sovereign states can become full members of the United Nations." &nbsp;</p>

<p>She stated that this is international "common sense" and in accordance with the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and the five principles of peaceful coexistence, China has established and developed sound state-to-state relations with Ukraine. She noted that any attempt to "sow dissension, interfere or undermine China's relations with relevant countries will have ulterior motives and will not succeed".&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/as-china-steps-up-threats-australia-unveils-biggest-defence-reform-since-world-war-ii-585568">As China steps up threats, Australia unveils biggest defence reform since World War II</a>&nbsp;</strong></p>

<h2><strong>Reactions to Lu's comments&nbsp;</strong></h2>

<p>Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis wrote on Twitter that "if anyone is still wondering why the Baltic States don't trust China to 'broker peace in Ukraine', here's a Chinese ambassador arguing that Crimea is Russian and our countries' borders have no legal basis."</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;</em></p>

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Amid furore caused by an envoy's remarks, China conceded on Monday (April 24) that it respected the "sovereign state status" of all ex-Soviet countries. The remarks from the Chinese foreign ministry came after Ukraine slammed the "absurd" remarks by China’s ambassador to France on ex-Soviet nations, who basically questioned their sovereignty.

Amid furore caused by an envoy's remarks, China conceded on Monday (April 24) that it respected the "sovereign state status" of all ex-Soviet countries. The remarks from the Chinese foreign ministry came after Ukraine slammed the "absurd" remarks by China’s ambassador to France on ex-Soviet nations, who basically questioned their sovereignty. Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning told reporters that Beijing "respects the sovereign state status of the participating republics after the dissolution of the Soviet Union." The remarks over sovereignty were made by Lu Shaye as he suggested that the countries that emerged after the fall of the Soviet Union "don't have effective status under international law because there is not an international agreement confirming their status as sovereign nations." ALSO READ | Global military expenditure reaches new record high in 2022 His remarks came during an interview which aired on French television on Friday. The comments sparked a wave of outrage across Europe as France and the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have also condemned the official. European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said that the remarks were "unacceptable". Borrell further added in a tweet that the EU "can only suppose these declarations do not represent China's official policy." Watch this report: × In a response to the controversy, Mao told journalists: "China respects the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of all countries and upholds the purposes and principles of the UN Charter. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, China was one of the first countries to establish diplomatic relations with relevant countries." "Since the establishment of diplomatic ties, China has always adhered to the principle of mutual respect and equality to develop bilateral, friendly and cooperative relations," the Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman further added. "The Chinese side respects the status of the member states as sovereign states after the dissolution of the Soviet Union." While responding to a reporter, Mao said, "The country you mentioned (Ukraine) is a full member of the United Nations, and only sovereign states can become full members of the United Nations." She stated that this is international "common sense" and in accordance with the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and the five principles of peaceful coexistence, China has established and developed sound state-to-state relations with Ukraine. She noted that any attempt to "sow dissension, interfere or undermine China's relations with relevant countries will have ulterior motives and will not succeed". ALSO READ | As China steps up threats, Australia unveils biggest defence reform since World War II Reactions to Lu's comments Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis wrote on Twitter that "if anyone is still wondering why the Baltic States don't trust China to 'broker peace in Ukraine', here's a Chinese ambassador arguing that Crimea is Russian and our countries' borders have no legal basis." (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

China caves in after outrage, says it respects ex-Soviet states as sovereign nations

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Lithuania's envoy calls Chinese ambassador's comment on ex-Soviet states 'unacceptable'

China caves in after outrage, says it respects ex-Soviet states as sovereign nations