The President of Lithuania Dalia Grybauskaitė has on 29 January signed a decree appointing Audronius Ažubalis as a new Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania.  Mr Azubalis, the Conservative Member of Parliament is currently Parliament’s Chairperson of the Committee on Foreign Affairs.  The meeting was scheduled for 45 minutes but lasted double that.

After the meeting Ažubalis told journalists that the Lithuania’s foreign policy priorities are the same, ‘Real and deep integration into NATO and the European Union, good relation with our neighbours.  It sounds banal; there is a lot of talk and writings about it.  On the other hand, it is a different matter how we implement that.  But I don’t want to comment on that at the moment.  However, I have an impression that our conversation with the President was open, very clear, benevolent and to be precise, I am in a good mood from it.’

Asked to give his opinion about a Parliamentary probe on the secret CIA prisons in Lithuania he answered, ‘The probe helped Lithuania to clear out another jammed pipe in its circulation of democracy.’  He also added that in his opinion the probe will not effect Lithuania’s relationship with the USA in any negative way.

Some politicians and commentators see Mr Ažubalis as too anti Russian and not able to fit with a new, so called a pragmatic policy towards Russia, which began when Grybauskaite took the office half year ago.

“I think that Russia is a complicated neighbour and some of its actions can be named as threatening. Let us just look at the example of closure of Druzhba gas pipeline, the act that was threatening to Lithuania economically.  We cannot deny that.” said Ažubalis.

When asked about Lithuania’s claim for damages caused by the Soviets’ 50 year occupation of Lithuania Ažubalis admitted that Lithuanians have to do their homework on the issue ‘so it could keep bringing up the issue to Russia.’  He asked for some time, ‘Give it some time,’ Ažubalis said.

Kubulius was positive about Ažubalis meeting with the President.  He stated to an interview to the Lietuvos rytas TV, ‘I am convinced that the President, Audronius Ažubalis and the Government have very clear main foreign policy doctrine which we will manage to implement.  Any personal relations will not obstruct implementation of such policy.’

Ažubalis, currently Chair of the Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs will have to take an oath in Seimas to assume his post in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.  However, next plenary Session is planned in 10 March.  However, the Conservative party is determined to accelerate Ažubalis’ journey to the Ministry by calling an extraordinary session.

According to the Conservatives some half necessary 47 MPs signatures are collected already.  The Conservative’s elderly in Seimas Razma stated to the Public Radio that Lithuania should have a functioning Foreign Minister as soon as possible since some important dates are approaching.  One of them is 11 March, which will mark twentieth anniversary of Lithuania’s Independence with high-ranking foreign guests are expected.  According to the Lietuvos zinios daily there are two dates for an extraordinary session are planned, one in 9-11 and other in 23-25 of February.