Ambassador A. Valionis: Lithuania’s strategic goals — EU and NATO membership — gave me political comfort at the time
CONVERSATION
11/21/2024
SUMMARY
“Back in the summer of 2000, after the municipal elections, Artūras Paulauskas asked me whether I would agree to become Minister of Foreign Affairs if his party won the parliamentary elections in the autumn,” recalls former foreign minister and ambassador Antanas Valionis. According to him, this was likely influenced by his frequent contact with then-President Valdas Adamkus.
In his conversation with Artūras Jonkus, Ambassador Valionis also spoke about the nuances of Lithuania’s negotiations for EU and NATO membership, private discussions behind the scenes, and what he calls “beer diplomacy.”
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