President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) and Vice President Hsiao Bhi-khim (蕭美琴) met with former President of the Republic of Lithuania Dalia Grybauskaitė Wednesday morning.
Lai pointed out that, since the Taiwanese Representative Office in Lithuania was established in 2021, the two sides have actively collaborated in important fields such as semiconductors and agriculture. He expressed his hope to deepen this relationship and explore further opportunities for cooperation, to the benefit of both nations, as well as the international community.
Grybauskaitė said that both Taiwan and Lithuania are in similar positions geopolitically, being relatively small countries situated next to large and powerful neighbors. She referred to this as the reason why they have an innate mutual understanding. Grybauskaitė encouraged the use of democratic systems as tools to increase Taiwan’s prosperity and improve its global standing.
Finally, Grybauskaitė, who served as Lithuania’s first female president, offered words of advice and reassurance to President Lai and Vice President Hsiao based on her own leadership experience. She urged them to remain strong, patient, and determined, and to make decisions in the best interest of Taiwan and its people.