Australia–Lithuania relations

With the Soviet Occupation of the Baltic States in June 1940, the Australian Government of Robert Menzies, like the British Government, did not recognise this action but the Minister for External Affairs, Sir Frederick Stewart, later confirmed in June 1941 that informal discussions had occurred that implied a "readiness on the part of the United Kingdom Government to settle on a practical basis various questions arising out of the Soviet annexation of the Baltic States."[3] In 1948, the Soviet Embassy in Canberra made the announcement that "all persons from the Baltic States now resident in Australia would be registered as Soviet citizens", which met the response from the Australian Government of Ben Chifley that Australia did not recognise the Soviet annexation of the Baltic States and any citizens of those states resident in Australia would not be compelled to undertake any action in this regard.[4]

By March 1949, in a Senate debate on the United Nations General Assembly's Third Session, the Minister for Health and Social Services, Senator Nick McKenna, noted the status quo of the situation:[5]

"The Australian Government has not recognized, and does not intend to recognize, the absorption into the Soviet Union of the formerly independent republics of Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia. The Australian Government believes that these accessions by the Soviet Union cannot be said to have been made as a result of the clearly expressed wish of the people of those countries. I draw the attention of the Senate to the action of the Minister for Immigration (Mr. Calwell) some time ago when a request was made on behalf of Soviet Russia that nationals of those countries should register in Australia as members of the Soviet Republic. The Senate will recall that an announcement was made that they were under no obligation to do that, and that if they cared to do so it would be of their own volition and not as the result of any pressure on the part of this Government or of any obligation the Australian Government felt was cast upon them. However, the absorption of those countries by Soviet Russia is an accomplished fact. I doubt whether this or any other Government could take action that would result in a change being effected in the foreseeable future."

In March 1970 the Minister for External Affairs in the Gorton Government, William McMahon, noted in Parliament: "The legal position is that Australia has never withdrawn recognition from the Governments of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania which were forced into exile by the U.S.S.R.'s invasion and occupation of those States in 1940. Australia has not explicitly extended recognition to any particular Government which may regard itself as a successor to one of those Governments which Australia recognised in 1940."[6] Australia was the only Western country to break ranks and briefly recognise the Soviet annexation of Lithuania (and the other Baltic states) as de jure for 17 months between July 1974 to December 1975 by the Whitlam Labor government, while most other countries continued to recognise the independent Lithuanian diplomatic missions.[7][8] In explaining the change of position, the Minister for Repatriation and Compensation and prominent critic of Soviet foreign policy, Senator John Wheeldon, noted to the Senate in September 1974:[9]

"What is the situation with regard to Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia which are or were three of the Baltic states? Their incorporation in the Soviet Union is one of the most shameful acts in modern European history. It was something which took place as a result of a disgraceful, shameful and discreditable treaty signed in Moscow in 1939 between Stalin and Ribbentrop, the then nazi Foreign Minister. [...] At the present time one of the most important problems facing the whole of the world's people is to bring about what for some mysterious reason - I have never quite known why - is called détente, a relaxation, an end to the cold war, a certain amount of give and take by the two major sides in the present world conflict. One of the things that has to be done in order to bring that about is to face a number of realities and some of those realities are unpalatable. There has to be some recognition of the fact that whether we like it or not or anyone else likes it or not, or whether it is just or unjust- and I believe it is unjust and I do not like it - Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia have been incorporated into the Soviet Union. To continue to say they are not part of the Soviet Union while the Soviet Government and I daresay a majority of the Soviet people believe that they are is something which lessens opportunities for bringing about peaceful settlements with the Soviet Union, and peaceful settlements with the Soviet Union are essential."

Following the election of the new conservative Coalition government of Malcolm Fraser in November 1975, the new government withdrew de jure recognition of the incorporation of Lithuania into the Soviet Union. On 17 December of that year the Australian government instructed the Australian ambassador in Moscow that he and his staff were not to make any official visits to the Lithuanian SSR.[10][11] On 27 August 1991, Prime Minister Bob Hawke, announced Australia's decision to re-establish full diplomatic relations with Lithuania.[12] The Australian Ambassador to Denmark, John Burgess, received non-resident accreditation as Australia's first Ambassador to Lithuania from 6 November 1991.[13]

The Australian Consulate in Vilnius, Lithuania.

On 13 November 1997, as part of a significant expansion of Australian Honorary Consulates, Foreign Minister Alexander Downer announced the appointment of Italian-Australian businessman who had been resident in Lithuania since 1991, Salvatore Antonio Meschino, as Australia's first honorary consul in Vilnius, Lithuania.[14][15] When the new government of Prime Minister John Howard cut the budget of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in 1996–97, forcing the closure of the Embassy in Copenhagen, Denmark, in May 1997, accreditation for Denmark, Iceland, Latvia, and Lithuania, was transferred to the embassy in Sweden.[16][17] In 2013, responsibility for relations with Lithuania was transferred to the Ambassador to Poland.

In February 2021, the Lithuanian Government established a resident Embassy to Australia in Canberra, replacing the previous arrangement of non-resident ambassadors of Lithuania to Japan.[18] In August 2021, the first resident ambassador of Lithuania to Australia, Darius Degutis, was appointed.[19][20] He presented his credentials to the Governor-General of Australia on 30 November 2021.[21] In February 2022, the Lithuanian Foreign Minister, Gabrielius Landsbergis, undertook an official visit to Australia and officially opened the new Lithuanian embassy.[22] On 17–20 October 2023, the President of Lithuania, Gitanas Nausėda, undertook a state visit to Australia, including opening the Lithuania-Australia Business and Science Forum in Melbourne, and meeting with Governor-General David Hurley, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, and the Premier of South Australia, Peter Malinauskas, who is of Lithuanian descent.[23][24][25][26][27]