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
FormedNovember 4, 1918 (1918-11-04)
HeadquartersVilnius, Lithuania
Minister responsible
Websitewww.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
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