EU ministers brand name Chinese envoy’s remarks on Ukraine’s sovereignty ‘completely undesirable’
Recent remarks by the Chinese ambassador to France questioning the sovereignty of previous Soviet states like Ukraine are completely undesirable, foreign ministers for the Czech Republic and Lithuania said.
“It is completely undesirable”, Czech foreign minister Jan Lipavsky said ahead of an EU conference in Luxembourg today.
“I hope managers of this ambassador will make these things directly.”
Asked about his position on whether Crimea becomes part of Ukraine or not, China’s ambassador to Paris Lu Shaye said in an interview aired on French tv on Friday that traditionally it belonged to Russia and had actually been provided to Ukraine by previous Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev.
“These ex-USSR nations do not have real status in global law since there is no global contract to emerge their sovereign status,” Mr Lu included.
Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis likewise branded the remarks “completely undesirable” and said the 3 Baltic nations will formally ask China for information to examine if its position has actually altered.
France, Ukraine, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania all revealed discouragement at Mr Lu’s remarks over the weekend.