"The ambassador of China questioned the sovereignty of 15 countries, including Belarus.

Of course, such statements of the ambassador are absolutely unacceptable," Tikhonovskaya's office commented on the statement of the Chinese ambassador.

The statement of the Office emphasizes that the international community recognized Belarus as a sovereign state immediately after the restoration of independence in 1991, and "the People's Republic of China was among the first to do so", moreover, the sovereignty of Belarus is enshrined in the Constitution and is implemented in accordance with the principles of international law.

Tsikhanovskaya's office noted that the neighbors of Belarus - Lithuania, Latvia, Ukraine - immediately condemned the statements of the Chinese ambassador, but Lukashenka's MFA "decided to remain silent, despite its supposedly friendly relations with China."

"Neglecting the independence and national interests of our country is the result of Lukashenka's vicious policy for decades.

That is why our country is in a deep political and humanitarian crisis.

It is precisely because of this policy that Belarus began to be perceived more and more often as just an appendage or a vassal of Russia," said Tsikhanovskaya's office.

The representatives of the Office emphasized that the democratic forces are developing international connections and contacts and building relations with neighbors and partners in order to "rebuild everything that was destroyed by the regime" after the changes in Belarus and in the future to demand "respect for independence, integrity of borders, equal and transparent relations " in relation to Belarus.

What did the Chinese ambassador say and what was the reaction to his speech

On April 25, on the air of the French news channel La Chaîne Info, TV journalist Darius Rocheben asked the Chinese ambassador in Paris, Lu Shaye, to explain his position on Crimea, simply answering the question whether the territory of the peninsula belongs to Ukraine.

"It depends on how you perceive the problem," the Chinese diplomat replied, adding that Crimea was "Russian originally," after which Nikita Khrushchev handed it over to Ukraine.

To the journalist's objection that international law recognizes Crimea as a territory of Ukraine, Lu Shaye said that states from the post-Soviet space allegedly do not have status in current international law, as "there is no international agreement that would specify their status as sovereign countries."

This statement caused outrage in the international community.

In particular, the authorities of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania said they would summon Chinese diplomats in their capitals to explain Lu's remarks.

The EU's chief diplomat, Joseph Burel, called the statement "unacceptable."