Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė told reporters that Kirkilas was a great diplomat, was highly dedicated to the country and stood firmly in favour of Lithuania’s EU and NATO membership.
“In 2015 or 2016, when ‘a Marshall Plan for Ukraine’ was created, when it was not yet very fashionable to speak about Ukraine’s membership in the EU, (&) Gediminas, together with [Conservative MEP] Andrius Kubilius, visited numerous European capitals and [presented] the plan much earlier before everyone started talking about Ukraine’s EU membership. (&) He devoted much time and effort. This is something that statesmen do. So I would say that Gediminas Kirkilas was a statesman,” said Šimonytė.
Former parliament speaker Česlovas Juršėnas, former MP Irena Šiaulienė, MPs Rimantė Šalaševičiūtė, Jonas Pinskus, Antanas Vinkus, other lawmakers and members of the Social Democratic Party (LSDP) also arrived to pay respects to Kirkilas.
A wake is held at the funeral home Ritualas on Tuesday from 12 p.m. until 8 p.m., and on Wednesday from 9 a.m. until 12 p.m. Funeral will take place at Antakalnis Cemetery.
Kirkilas was a member of the Democratic Labour Party of Lithuania (LDDP) in 1990-2001, the Social Democratic Party (LSDP) in 2001-2017 and the Social Democratic Labour Party (LSDDP) since 2018.
He was an MP from 1992 until 2020, Lithuania’s national defence minister in 2004-2006 and prime minister in 2006-2008.