As Sunday's referendum in Ukraine's Crimea approaches, the visiting Lithuanian foreign minister called Russia's de facto occupation of the territory an act of aggression against a sovereign nation and said the Baltic state will not recognize the election results.
Following what he described as "fruitful discussions" with several Japanese ministers and business leaders in Tokyo, Linas Linkevicius, 53, told The Japan Times that the result of the referendum conducted under the control of foreign troops is not legitimate.
He urged the international community, including Japan, to send a clear message to Russia.