Budrys was sworn in as the new head of Lithuania’s diplomacy at the Parliament on Thursday.
"I am taking the helm of Lithuania’s diplomacy at a most stressful time. Therefore, I need to have a professional and motivated team. We will work actively to strengthen relations with allies and partners, prepare for the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, and mobilise all kinds of support for Ukraine," said Budrys.
Three deputy ministers will work in the political confidence team of Kęstutis Budrys.
Deputy Foreign Minister Julius Pranevičius has many years of experience in the diplomatic service. He has served as ambassador of Lithuania to India, the Consul General of Lithuania in New York, headed the European Union Department, later the Directorate for Indo-Pacific of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and was the Director of the Department for the Presidency of the Council of the EU. Pranevičius holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science and a Master’s Degree in European Studies from the Institute of International Relations and Political Science of Vilnius University.
Pranevičius will be responsible for security policy, transatlantic ties, relations with the Indo-Pacific countries and economic diplomacy.
Deputy Foreign Sigitas Mitkus has worked in the diplomatic service for almost thirty years. The diplomat participated in negotiations on Lithuania’s membership in the EU, worked as Counselor at the Permanent Representation of Lithuania to the European Union, Deputy Director and Director of the European Union Department, Director of the Financial Markets Policy Department at the Ministry of Finance, headed Lithuania’s delegation in negotiations on membership in the OECD Committee on Financial Markets, was a member of Insurance and Private Pensions committees, and served as foreign policy adviser to the President of Lithuania, Gitanas Nausėda. Mitkus holds a Master’s degree in Economics from the Faculty of Economics of Vilnius University and has gained more experience through a traineeship at the National School of Administration in Paris.
Mitkus will oversee the shaping and implementation of EU policy, relations with EU institutions, bilateral relations with European countries, Lithuania’s development cooperation policy and its implementation.
Gabija Grigaitė-Daugirdė, Doctor of International Law at Vilnius University, is also joining the team of deputy foreign ministers. Until now, she served as deputy minister of justice, overseeing initiatives to ensure the accountability of the Russian and Belarusian regimes, issues of international cooperation and implementation of human rights, and was a member of the Coordination Commission on International Sanctions. Previously she also held the position of the Chancellor of the Ministry of Justice and was a legal advisor to President Dalia Grybauskaitė. Grigaitė-Daugirdė is a lecturer of international and humanitarian law at the Faculty of Law of Vilnius University. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in international finance from the Faculty of Economics of Vilnius University, a Master’s Degree in international law from the Faculty of Law and a doctorate in international law.
Grigaitė-Daugirdė will be responsible for the initiatives to ensure the accountability of the Russian and Belarusian regimes, sanctions policy, protection of human rights and Lithuania’s interests in international organisations. She will take office in mid-January 2025.
The Cabinet of the Foreign Minister will be headed by an experienced diplomat, Martynas Lukoševičius, who until now has been a Counsellor to the Political Director at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He has served as a Foreign Policy Advisor to President Dalia Grybauskaitė and as Deputy Ambassador at the Lithuanian Embassy in Berlin. Lukoševičius holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science and a Master’s Degree in European Studies from the Institute of International Relations and Political Science of Vilnius University. Lukoševičius studied European Security Policy at the Geneva Centre for Security Policy.
The chancellor of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will be Aistė Stakėnienė. Until now, she has headed the Board of the State Security Department and has been responsible for personnel and finances. Previously, she was a human resources manager at the Lithuanian National Radio and Television. Stakėnienė holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration and Management from the Faculty of Economics of Vilnius University and a Master’s Degree in Personnel Management. Stakėnienė will take office at the end of December.
Kristina Belikova, communications specialist, has been appointed as the minister’s spokesperson. Until now, she had worked as an adviser to President of Lithuania Gitanas Nausėda on foreign policy communication. Before that, Belikova worked in international organisations, media outlets and public relations companies in Brussels, New York and Washington D.C., and participated in the Create Lithuania programme. She was also the James S. Denton Transatlantic Fellow at the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA). Belikova holds a Bachelor’s Degree in journalism from Vilnius University, a Master’s Degree in international communication from the Free University of Brussels, and another Master’s Degree in European interdisciplinary studies from the College of Europe.