On 15 January, Lithuania’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Vygaudas Ušackas appointed Šarūnas Adomavičius the Foreign Vice-Minister and Evaldas Ignatavičius the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Until this appointment, Š.Adomavičius had been Ambassador of Lithuania to Italysince 2005. In 1974, he graduated from Vilnius University, the Faculty of Law. Š.Adomavičius has been working at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs since 1992.

From 1992 to1993 Š.Adomavičius was Deputy Director of the Consular Department. From 1993 to 1997 he worked as Consul General of Lithuania in Warsaw and from 1997 to 1999 as Counsellor on legal issues to the Chairman of the Seimas (Parliament). From 1999 to 2003 Š.Adomavičius held a position of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Permanent Representation of Lithuania at the International Organizations in Vienna. From 2003 to 2005 he was Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Vice-Minister speaks English, German, Italian, Russian, and Polish.

Š.Adomavičius will be responsible for relations with Lithuanians abroad, shaping of consular policy and enhancement of consular services; he will shape and implement Lithuania’s policy in international organisations and other multilateral frameworks.

Until the appointment as Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, E.Ignatavičius had been Ambassador of Lithuania to Germany since 2004.

E.Ignatavičius was born on 8 February 1967 in Ukmergė. In 1992 he graduated from the Philology Faculty of Vilnius University. In 1994, E.Ignatavičius attended diplomatic courses at the Institute of International Relations in Leeds, the Great Britain. E.Ignatavičius has been working at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs since 1991.

From 1991 to 1995, he worked in the Eastern and Central Europe Division. From 1995 to 1998, E.Ignatavičius was Counsellor at the Embassy of Lithuania to Poland and from 1998 to 2000 he held the position of Head of the Eastern Europe and Central Asia Division. In 2000 E.Ignatavičius took the office of Consul General of Lithuania in Kaliningrad. From 2001 to 2002, he served as Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs and from 2002 to 2003 he was State Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. From 2003 to 2004, he worked as Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

E.Ignatavičius speaks English, Polish, German and Russian.

Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs E.Ignatavičius will be responsible for strengthening Eastern Neighbourhood policy, development of bilateral and multilateral relations with Russia and other countries in the Eastern Europe, South Caucasus and Central Asia. He will curate the issues of Lithuania‘s Development Cooperation and Democracy Promotion, and those of public diplomacy.