Status: 04/23/2023 3:29 p.m
The countries of the former Soviet Union have no status under international law – the Chinese ambassador in Paris said. Representatives of the Baltic states are outraged – and feel confirmed in their attitude towards China.
Representatives of the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have reacted with outrage to statements by the Chinese ambassador to France that ex-Soviet republics are not necessarily sovereign.
Latvia’s Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics said on Twitter that he had summoned the charge d’affaires at the Chinese embassy in Riga for Monday because of the “completely unacceptable” comments. This step has been coordinated with Lithuania and Estonia.
“We expect an explanation from the Chinese side and a complete withdrawal of this statement,” wrote the chief diplomat of the Baltic EU and NATO country.
Ambassador doubts the sovereignty of the ex-Soviet republics
In an interview on French television, China’s ambassador to Paris, Lu Shaye, previously questioned the sovereignty of states that were once part of the Soviet Union. Asked whether Crimea is part of Ukraine, the diplomat said it all depends on how you look at this issue.
When the moderator intervened that the Black Sea Peninsula, occupied by Russia since 2014, is part of Ukraine under international law, Shaye replied: “In international law, even these countries of the former Soviet Union have no effective status because there is no international agreement to establish their status as sovereign countries to specify.”
There could be a BU here, but this is rather unusual for location maps.
Paris expresses solidarity
The French Foreign Ministry noted the statements “with dismay,” a spokeswoman said. “We express our full solidarity with all our affected allies and partners who have gained long-awaited independence after decades of oppression.”
China must now clarify whether the ambassador’s statement represents the Chinese position. “The Chinese diplomat’s statements are incomprehensible and we condemn such statements to an independent and sovereign country,” said Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna.
China unsuitable as a mediator in the war in Ukraine
His Lithuanian counterpart Gabrielius Landsbergis wrote on Twitter about a recording of the interview: “If anyone is still wondering why the Baltic states do not trust China to ‘broke the peace in Ukraine’, here is a Chinese ambassador arguing that the Crimea is Russian and the borders of our countries have no legal basis.”
Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania were alternately occupied by the Soviet Union and Germany during World War II. After the end of the war, the three small Baltic states in north-eastern Europe became Soviet republics against their will for decades. They only regained their independence in 1991 and have belonged to the EU and NATO since 2004.