The President and the newly appointed Ambassador discussed relations between Lithuania and Japan in the areas of politics, economics, security and tourism. According to the President, the development of business relations will be one of the key tasks of the newly appointed Ambassador. President Dalia Grybauskaitė noted the importance of promoting export of Lithuanian products and attracting investment into advanced technologies.
The President also focused on possible options to create a new format 3+1 for cooperation between the Baltic States and Japan aimed at promoting the development of defense, economic and scientific contacts. This format was discussed by the President and the Prime Minister of Japan, Shinzo Abe, during his visit to Lithuania earlier in January. According to Dalia Grybauskaitė, the EU-Japan free trade agreement, expected to become effective next year, will provide for many opportunities.
Closer cooperation in the area of security was discussed at the meeting, and the President underscored the importance to develop joint solutions for ensuring cyber security.
The Ambassador is also accredited to Australia, the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, New Zealand, and Singapore.
Gediminas Varvuolis studied political sciences in France and started his diplomatic career in 1995. In 2005-2009, he served at the Permanent Delegation to NATO. In 2009-2003, he was Director of the Transatlantic Cooperation and Security Policy Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In 2013-2017, he served as Ambassador to Belgium.
