Taipei, Oct. 19 (CNA) A delegation of officials and business representatives from Lithuania will visit Taiwan next week to engage in discussions on advancing bilateral exchanges in financial technology and other fields, Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said Thursday.
During their visit Oct. 22-25, the members of the delegation will also meet with President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and other top government officials, MOFA said in a press release.
The delegation will be led by Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen, speaker of the Lithuanian parliament, and will include her foreign policy advisor in the parliament Rolandas Kačinskas and the country’s Vice Minister of Finance Vaida Markevičienė, MOFA said.
Vilma Mačerauskienė, the head of the Financial Markets Policy Department in the Lithuanian Finance Ministry, and business representatives from the Baltic country will also be part of the delegation, MOFA said.
During their stay, the members of the delegation will participate in a financial technology forum and visit the Ultrafast Laser Technology Research and Innovation Center in Tainan, which was established jointly in September by Taiwan and Lithuania, a global leader in that type of technology, according to MOFA.
During those events, the visiting Lithuanians will engage in extensive discussions with their Taiwanese counterparts on topics such as enhancing cooperation between the two sides in financial technology and other fields, according to the ministry.
Meanwhile, Speaker Čmilytė-Nielsen is scheduled to address Taiwan’s Legislature, which will confer an honorary medal on her, and she will hold a press conference in Taipei on Oct. 23, MOFA said.
The Lithuanian dignitaries will also meet Vice President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) and Premier Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) and attend a banquet hosted by President Tsai, the ministry said.
According to MOFA, the visit is aimed mainly at advancing exchanges and interactions between Taiwan and Lithuania in a wide range of areas, including science, technology and the economy.
It also hoped that the members of the delegation will gain a deeper understanding of Taiwan, the situation across the Taiwan Strait, and the security issues in the Asian and European regions, the foreign ministry said.
In 2021, Beijing imposed sanctions on Lithuania in retaliation for allowing the establishment of the Taiwanese Representative Office in the capital Vilnius, as China is strongly opposed to any actions or optics that imply recognition of Taiwan.
Nonetheless, Lithuania stood firm on the issue, and the Taiwanese office opened its doors last year.
