MOFA thanks US for backing Taiwan-Lithuania ties

2021/08/24

Staunch support from the U.S. for the expansion of Taiwan-Lithuania ties is sincerely appreciated by the government and people, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Aug. 22.
 
The statement follows a tweet by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken regarding his call with Lithuania Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis and a press release from the U.S. Department of State Aug. 21. Blinken expressed support for Lithuania’s decision to expand ties with Taiwan while underscoring ironclad U.S. solidarity with the European Union member state in the face of coercion from China.
 
The MOFA thanked the U.S. for exercising its role as the global leader of democracies by supporting other democratic countries faced with authoritarian threats. The U.S. has consistently backed the strengthening of relations between Taiwan and Lithuania, the ministry said, as evidenced by a phone call between U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman and Landsbergis Aug. 13.
 
According to the MOFA, as a force of good in the world, Taiwan will continue to safeguard the values of democracy, rule of law and respect for human rights that it shares with Lithuania. The government is working closely with like-minded partners around the world in order to expand Taiwan’s international space, it said.
 
In a tweet on the MOFA’s official Twitter account, Foreign Minister Jaushieh Joseph Wu said: “Sincere gratitude to @SecBlinken for the strong support of #Taiwan & #Lithuania. The #US's #IndoPacific partner & #NATO ally are forging closer ties for the good of the free world. Your backing toughens our resolve to fight off authoritarianism.”


Source: Taiwan Today (https://taiwantoday.tw/index.php)