The Lithuanian Foreign Ministry declared them 'persona non grata' for violating the Vienna Convention
El Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania has declared persona non grata a Three diplomats from the Chinese mission in the country, for violating the Vienna convention, in the context of tensions caused by the cutting of two submarine telecommunications cables in the Baltic Sea. This incident, which is being investigated by the Lithuanian authorities, is being treated as a possible act of sabotage with a Chinese ship as the prime suspect.
“This decision was made taking into account the information provided by the responsible authorities and the incompatibility of the status and activities of unaccredited employees with the provisions reflected in the Vienna Convention, principles of international law and Lithuanian law,” the statement said.
In addition, the Ministry ordered that the three diplomats leave the country “within a week at the latest”, highlighting that, despite this measure, Lithuania “has always been and remains open to constructive dialogue to resolve bilateral issues by mutual agreement.”
Although the Lithuanian authorities have not provided further details on the expulsion of the three Chinese diplomats, the decision is linked to the incident that occurred in the Baltic Sea, in which a Chinese vessel is suspected to have been involved.
Several countries of the Baltic have expressed concern about possible sabotage, some claiming it was orchestrated by Russia. Finland and Sweden investigations into the incident have been launched. According to reports from various media outlets, the Chinese vessel 'Yi Peng 3' is suspected to have caused damage intentionally, dropping its anchor in a maneuver that could have affected the cables on the seabed.
In turn, the Prime Minister of Lithuania, Gintautas Paluckas, expressed last Friday its support for the reactivation of diplomatic relations with China. This statement comes after three years ago, Taiwán opened a representative office in Wool, which provoked a strong response from Beijing, which decided to cut trade ties with Lithuania in retaliation.
The movement of Lithuania in 2021, led to China to withdraw its ambassador and take economic retaliation, seriously affecting trade relations. This Chinese response caused the European Union take the dispute to the World Trade Organization (WTO), which underlines the complex balance that Brussels keeps with Pekin amid geopolitical tensions.
In response to the opening of the office of representation of Taiwan en Wool, China requested the Government of Lithuania to reverse its decisions to strengthen the relationship with Taiwán, a territory with an independent government since 1949, but which Pekin still considers one province under its sovereignty.
(With information from Europe Press)
Source: INFOBAE