TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Lithuania on Tuesday (June 22) announced that it is donating 20,000 vaccine doses to Taiwan as thanks for its mask donations earlier in the pandemic.

At 3:59 p.m. Taipei time on Tuesday, Lithuania's Economy and Innovation Minister Ausrine Armonaite on Twitter announced that her country would donate 20,000 doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine to Taiwan as "humanitarian aid." Armonaite recalled that early in the pandemic in 2020, Taiwan sent 100,000 medical masks when they were dealing with a shortage.

She closed by stating, "There's no hesitation to help a true friend in need!" On Monday, Armonaite, who helped establish the Lithuania-Taiwan Forum in March, pointed out that Lithuania is "one step closer" to opening a business office in Taiwan.

At around the same time, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis announced on Twitter that his government had approved the donation of 20,000 vaccine doses to Taiwan. Landsbergis wrote that he is proud that his country "albeit in a small way, " can demonstrate its solidarity with the people of Taiwan in their battle with COVID-19. He then added, "Freedom-loving people should look out for each other!"

According to a Reuters report, the vaccines are slated to arrive in Taiwan in September. It cited Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte as saying at a broadcast government meeting “We’d like to do more, but we do what we can."

#Lithuania will share 20K AstraZeneca #vaccine doses with #Taiwan as humanitarian aid. In early 2020, Taiwan provided us with 100K medical masks that we lacked at that time. There's no hesitation to help a true friend in need! @LithuanianGovt

— Ausrine Armonaite (@ArmonaiteA) June 22, 2021

This morning the Lithuanian Government approved donation of 20 thousand vaccines to #Taiwan. I am proud that we can, albeit in a small way, to show solidarity with the Taiwanese people in combatting the COVID-19. Freedom-loving people should look out for each other!

— Gabrielius Landsbergis (@GLandsbergis) June 22, 2021