Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs summons Chinese ambassador over Chinese ambassador's statement that "Crimea is russia"
Diplomats of the Baltic states expressed their outrage at the words of the ambassador, who questioned the statehood of the former Soviet Union.
The Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the Chinese ambassador and said that the Chinese diplomat's statements on Crimea were misunderstood.
Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said that such statements are the explanation why the Baltic countries do not trust that China can negotiate peace in Ukraine, Voice of America reports.
"If anyone is still wondering why the Baltic states do not trust China to 'mediate for peace in Ukraine,' here is the Chinese ambassador who claims that Crimea is russia and that the borders of our countries have no legal basis," the Lithuanian official wrote on Twitter.
Speaking on the LCI news channel, Chinese Ambassador to France Lu Shae said that the former Soviet republics "do not have an effective status in international law" because "there is no international agreement that would materialize their status as a sovereign country."
On a French TV channel, the Chinese diplomat also said that Crimea was "russian from the beginning," but did not specify what he meant by the beginning. When asked about Crimea, he said, "it depends on how you perceive the problem," adding that "it's not that simple."
Ukraine's ambassador to France, Vadym Omelchenko, reacted to the statements made by China's ambassador to the country, saying that his Chinese counterpart has "obvious problems with geography."
"Such statements are contrary to the position of the Chinese capital "on efforts to restore peace in Ukraine on the basis of international law and the goals and principles of the UN Charter...", the Ukrainian ambassador wrote on Twitter.
China insists on its neutrality, but Chinese representatives have not yet condemned russia's attack on Ukraine or demanded the withdrawal of russian troops from Ukrainian territory.
Earlier, French President Emmanuel Macron's statements on Ukraine after his visit to China also caused a wave of criticism. In particular, he said that Europe should distance itself from the United States and the conflict over Taiwan.
It was also reported that Macron wants to bring Ukraine and russia to the negotiating table this summer with the help of China.
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