Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Lithuania)

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania (Lithuanian: Lietuvos Respublikos užsienio reikalų ministerija) is a governmental body of the Republic of Lithuanian that shapes the national policy, and organises, coordinates, and controls its enforcement in the following areas: foreign affairs and security policy: international relations, economic security, foreign trade, protection of the rights and interests of the Republic of Lithuania and its persons and entities abroad; coordination of European Union membership; representing the Republic of Lithuania abroad diplomatic and consular relations, diplomatic service, Lithuanian national and diplomatic protocol, international relations; the policy of cooperation of the Republic of Lithuania; strengthening of expat connections with Lithuania.[1] The Ministry of Foreign Affairs was established on 4 November 1918, shortly after Lithuania reestablished its independence.[2]

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania

Lietuvos Respublikos užsienio reikalų ministerija
Ministry overview
Formed	November 4, 1918 (1918-11-04)
Headquarters	Vilnius, Lithuania
Minister responsible	Linas Antanas Linkevičius
Website	www.urm.lt/en

Activity

The head of the Ministry is the foreign minister. The current head of the Ministry is Linas Antanas Linkevičius. He is appointed and revoked by the President of the Republic of Lithuania by motion from the Prime Minister.[3] The foreign minister is subordinate to the Parliament, the President, and the Prime Minister of the Republic of Lithuania. The foreign minister supervises the Ministry, deals with matters that lay within its sphere of competence, signs international agreements, ensures the enforcement of regulations the Ministry is tasked to oversee, files bills, ensures the execution of orders from the Government and the Prime Minister of the Republic of Lithuania, approves Strategic Planning Methodology, issues annual reports, coordinates and controls the work of administrational departments of the Ministry, as well as the activities of diplomatic missions, consular establishments and offices of the Republic of Lithuania to international organizations, file motions to the President of the Republic of Lithuania to award the diplomatic ranks of ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary of the Republic of Lithuania, envoy extraordinary of the Republic of Lithuania, and minister plenipotentiary of the Republic of Lithuania, and to the Government of the Republic of Lithuania, to appoint or recall diplomatic representatives (ambassadors extraordinary and plenipotentiary), defines the areas of activity for vice-ministers, and areas of cooperation for the Ministry chancellor.[4]

Minister of Foreign Affairs Linas Linkevičius

In his work, the minister is advised by officers of political trust – vice-ministers. The Ministry may not have more than four of them. They organise and control execution of orders, the drafting and approval of draft regulations, and represent the minister by assignment, presenting the minister's political attitudes and decisions to the public.

The analysis, planning, formation, coordination, and enforcement of Lithuania's foreign policy is done by the political director of the Foreign Ministry. The director's functions include high-level representation of Lithuania abroad. The political director is involved in the activities of the Ministry's management, cooperates with the Ministry's administrative departments, domestic and foreign institutions, bodies, and individual partners. The director also supervises the formation, enforcement, and development of the security policy and cooperation with foreign countries, regions, and international organizations, the strengthening of the Eastern neighborhood policy, human rights and democracy, European policy, trans-Atlantic and developmental cooperation, and support of democracy.

The head of the Ministry's administration is the chancellor. The chancellor coordinates and controls the activities of the Ministry's administrative departments, ensures that financial and intellectual resources, assets and information are used optimally to achieve the Ministry's strategic operating goals and objectives.

The foreign minister has an advisory institution, the so-called board.[5]

Structure

By order approved on 26 January 2016, the Foreign Ministry has 19 departments:

1. The Policy Planning Department
2. The United Nations, International Organisations, and Human Rights Department
3. The European Countries Department
4. The Developmental Cooperation Department
5. The Latin America, Africa, Asia, and Oceania Department
6. The Foreign Lithuanians Department
7. The European Union Department
8. The External Economic Relations Department
9. The Economic Security Policy Department
10. The Human Resources Department
11. The Administrative Department
12. The Information Technology Department
13. The Financial Department
14. The National and Diplomatic Protocol Department
15. The Legal and International Contracts Department
16. The Consular Department
17. The Eastern Neighborhood Policy Department
18. The Trans-Atlantic Cooperation and Security Policy Department
19. The Information and Public Relations Department

Ministers of Foreign Affairs

Interwar and in exile

Name	Took office	Left office	Political party
Augustinas Voldemaras	11 November 1918	12 April 1919
Mykolas Sleževičius	12 April 1919	6 October 1919
Augustinas Voldemaras	6 October 1919	19 June 1920
Juozas Purickis	19 June 1920	1 January 1922
Vladas Jurgutis	1 January 1922	28 September 1922
Ernestas Galvanauskas	28 September 1922	10 June 1924
Valdemaras Čarneckis	18 June 1924	25 September 1925
Mečislovas Reinys	25 September 1925	20 April 1926
Leonas Bistras	21 April 1926	14 June 1926
Mykolas Sleževičius	15 June 1926	16 December 1926
Augustinas Voldemaras	16 December 1926	19 September 1929
Dovas Zaunius	8 November 1929	12 June 1934
Stasys Lozoraitis	12 June 1934	5 December 1938
Juozas Urbšys[6]	5 December 1938	16 June 1940
Vincas Krėvė-Mickevičius	17 June 1940	22 July 1940
Stasys Lozoraitis[7] (Chief of Diplomacy)	16 June 1940	24 December 1983
Stasys Bačkis[8] (Chief of Diplomacy)	24 December 1983	6 September 1991

From 1990

Parties   LKDP   LDDP   TS–LKD   LSDP   NS   Independent

#	Picture	Name	From	Until	Political Party	Cabinet
1		Algirdas Saudargas (1948–)	17 March 1990	2 December 1992	LKDP	Prunskienė
						Šimėnas
						Vagnorius I
2		Povilas Gylys (1948–)	2 December 1992	4 December 1996	LDDP	Lubys
						Šleževičius
						Stankevičius
(1)		Algirdas Saudargas (1948–)	4 December 1996	27 October 2000	LKDP	Vagnorius II
						Paksas I
						Kubilius I
3		Antanas Valionis (1950–)	27 October 2000	5 July 2006	Independent	Paksas II
3					NS	Brazauskas I
						Brazauskas II
4		Petras Vaitiekūnas (1953–)	6 July 2006	28 November 2008	Independent	Kirkilas
5		Vygaudas Ušackas (1964–)	9 December 2008	26 January 2010	Independent	Kubilius II
6		Audronius Ažubalis (1958–)	11 February 2010	13 December 2012	TS–LKD
7		Linas Antanas Linkevičius (1961–)	13 December 2012	Incumbent	LSDP	Butkevičius
7					Independent	Skvernelis

References

1. "1155 Dėl Lietuvos Respublikos užsienio reikalų ministerijos nuostatų patvirtinimo". www.e-tar.lt. Retrieved 2017-10-19.
2. Eidintas, Alfonsas; Bumblauskas, Alfredas; Kulakauskas, Antanas; Tamošaitis, Mindaugas (2013). The History of Lithuania (PDF). Vilnius: Eugrimas. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-12-15. Retrieved 2017-10-19.
3. Lithuania's Constitution of 1992 with Amendments through 2006 (PDF). constituteproject.org. 2017.
4. "LR Vyriausybės nutarimas dėl Lietuvos Respublikos Užsienio reikalų ministerijos nuostatų patvirtinimo".
5. "Lietuvos Respublikos užsienio reikalų ministerijos schematinė struktūra" (PDF).
6. Jakštas, Juozas (1992). Nepriklausomos Lietuvos istorija 1918-1940. Chicago: Vydūno fondas.
7. Petraitytė Briedienė, Asta (2013). Lietuvos diplomatinės tarnybos šefas Stasys Lozoraitis. Vilnius: Versus aureus.
8. Vasiliauskienė, Aldona (1996). Stasio Antano Bačkio gyvenimo ir veiklos bruožai. Vilnius.

Sources

• Lietuvos Respublikos Užsienio reikalų ministrai 1918-1940. Retrieved on 2008-08-10
• Lietuvos Respublikos Užsienio reikalų ministrai 1990 - 2006. Retrieved on 2008-08-10

External links

• Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Republic of Lithuania
• http://diplomatiniskaunas.lt/