The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of China (Taiwan) stated that Vilmantas Vitkauskas, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Prime Minister’s Office of Lithuania and Director of the National Crisis Management Center, led a delegation to visit Taiwan on the 12th. This marks the first official visit of a delegation from the new Lithuanian government to Taiwan. Additionally, Gabrielius Landsbergis, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania, visited Taiwan for the first time and will be awarded the Grand Medal of the Order of Brilliant Star by President Lai Ching-te, as well as giving a public lecture.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of China announced on the 12th that Vilmantas Vitkauskas led the “Foreign Influence Manipulation Initiative (FIMI)” delegation to Taiwan from the 12th to the 18th. The delegation includes Vilijus Samuila, Acting Director of the Communication and Cultural Diplomacy Department of the Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and five experts from non-governmental organizations (NGOs). This visit marks the first delegation from the new Lithuanian government since its establishment at the end of last year, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs warmly welcomed their visit.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Taiwan emphasized, “During this visit, the delegation will attend a banquet hosted by the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Wu Chih-chung and will also meet with government agencies such as the National Security Council, the Ministry of National Defense, and the Investigation Bureau of the Ministry of Justice, as well as exchange ideas with NGOs in the field of countering disinformation and promoting societal resilience.”
Furthermore, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Taiwan stated that both Taiwan and Lithuania are frontline democratic countries facing threats from authoritarian expansion, and they are important partners who share common values. Since the establishment of representative offices in each other’s countries, a deep friendship and mutual trust have been built between the two nations, expanding cooperation and strengthening democratic resilience together.
In addition, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Taiwan announced that Gabrielius Landsbergis, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania, and his spouse were invited by the government of the Republic of China to visit Taiwan for the first time from the 12th to the 16th, and they were warmly welcomed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
During his visit, Landsbergis will be awarded the Special Grand Medal of the Order of Brilliant Star by President Lai Ching-te, meet with Vice President Lai Ching-te, Vice President of the Legislative Yuan Chen Chih-cheng, attend a banquet hosted by Secretary-General of the National Security Council David Lee and Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu, participate in a lecture event organized by the Prospect Foundation, and visit the campus of National Taiwan University to interact with young students.
During his tenure as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania, Landsbergis facilitated the donation of COVID-19 vaccines to Taiwan, steadfastly defended the values of democracy and freedom, supported the Republic of China in establishing a representative office in Lithuania under the name of “Taiwan,” spared no effort in developing Taiwan-Lithuania relations, and wrote articles to international media during China’s military exercises around Taiwan in 2022, urging the international community to support Taiwan, truly becoming a steadfast friend of Taiwan.