"Not only everything was discussed with the president before the opening of the representation but all steps were actively coordinated," Landsbergis told reporters on Wednesday when asked whether his ministry had discussed the name of the Taiwanese office with the president.
"I wouldn’t want to discuss this issue anymore because, as we see, some national policy details soon move to our foreign policy, and neither the president, nor I want that," the minister said.
His comment came in response to Nauseda's recent statement that the decision to allow using the island's name for the Taiwanese representative office in Vilnius was a mistake and it was not discussed with him.
Landsbergis says decisions on the representative office were based on "the president's and the publicly expressed position when support for the name as well was expressed".
"We are working with partners to be able to explain that Lithuania's position is solid, Lithuania has done nothing that could be viewed as a violation. That's our sovereign right. The actions Lithuania has been subjected to are a violation and today Lithuania is the one that's been punished for its right value-based position," the minister said, referring to the existing disruptions Lithuanian businesses are experiencing when trading with China.
Lithuanian-Chinese relations soured after a Taiwanese representative office was opened in Vilnius under the island's name. Experts say the name in Chinese sounds like it's Taiwan's representative office, and Beijing views that as Taiwan's attempt to act as an independent country.