On Wednesday, 2 September, the Seimas Board declined a request from MPs Ignas Vėgėlė and Rimas Jonas Jankūnas to attend a meeting with Chinese representatives in Brussels. Seimas Speaker Juozas Olekas clarified that while lawmakers may travel to Brussels, they will not be recognised as official Seimas delegates, and Parliament will not approve any official trips. The MPs have scheduled their visit to Brussels for 7-9 September.
Ignas Vėgėlė is a known anti-vaccination advocate who has characterised COVID-19 vaccination as a “restriction of human rights.” He previously served as the Chairman of the Lithuanian Bar Association from 2013 to 2016. Vėgėlė was a member of the populist conservative Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union (LVŽS) parliamentary group until he resigned last April due to policy differences. He announced in July the establishment of a new political party called Lithuania for Citizens (Piliečių Lietuva).
Rimas Jonas Jankūnas is associated with the far-right People and Justice Union, which is linked to the right-wing extremist Europe of Sovereign Nations (ESN) Party.
In August, the news website Delfi reported that the MPs had formed an ad hoc group titled “For the Normalisation of Diplomatic Ties With China” and aimed to meet with Chinese representatives to the European Union in Belgium. Their objective is to restore diplomatic relations between Lithuania and China to a level comparable to those of other European Union countries.
Relations between Vilnius and Beijing significantly deteriorated following the opening of the Taiwanese Representative Office in Lithuania at the end of 2021. China views Taiwan as a breakaway province and objects to the use of “Taiwan” instead of “Taipei.” In response to the situation, China has imposed diplomatic and economic sanctions on Lithuania and downgraded its diplomatic representation.
Various MPs have raised concerns about whether this upcoming visit aligns with the official positions of the Lithuanian Government, the Foreign Ministry, and the Foreign Affairs Committee of Parliament, according to Delfi.lt. Conservative MP Radvilė Morkūnaitė‑Mikulėnienė expressed her belief that this initiative is not in Lithuania’s best interests. Additionally, Social Democratic MP Rasa Budbergytė highlighted the necessity for any visit to have a mission that is coordinated with the Foreign Affairs Committee and the Foreign Ministry.
