The President and the newly appointed Ambassador to the permanent representation at UNESCO discussed the most imminent work. An electoral campaign to the Executive Board of UNESCO 2021–2025 is one of the first immediate tasks aimed at ensuring support to Lithuania’s candidate to the Executive Board. The further dynamics of the activities will depend on the course of the elections. The meeting raised the goal to increase the contribution of Lithuania’s experts towards the activities of UNESCO with the special focus on education and science. The President and the Ambassador also discussed the commemoration of 100 th birth anniversary of Marija Gimbutienė and nomination of Kaunas modernist architecture to the World Heritage List.
The President and the newly appointed Lithuania’s ambassador to Australia discussed the promotion of political and economic cooperation with Australia. At the meeting, the President underscored Australia’s regional significance in the area of security, strong transatlantic bonds, and aims to draw Australia toward more intense economic cooperation, especially in life sciences, biotechnologies, information technologies, and innovations. According to Gitanas Nausėda, it is necessary to continue enhancing relations with Lithuanians residing in Australia that have gathered a large community nurturing deep traditions.
Jolanta Balčiūnienė, Lithuania’s Ambassador to the permanent representation at UNESCO, has been Director of the European Countries Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. She was also the Ambassador to Italy and France.
Darius Degutis, Lithuania’s Ambassador to Australia, has been Ambassador-at-Large at the External Economic Relations and Economic Security Policy Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Ambassador Degutis has a long-standing diplomatic experience, he was Lithuania’s Ambassador to Israel and Poland.
