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Lithuania strengthens its role in international organizations

Lithuania strengthens its role in international organizations

On 25 September, the election for the post of OTIF Secretary General was held in Bern, Switzerland. The Lithuanian nominee, Aleksandr Kuzmenko, won the election and became the new head of the organisation. He will serve as OTIF Secretary General from 2025 to 2027.

"I am pleased that the international community is increasingly electing Lithuanian candidates for high positions and entrusting Lithuania to chair international organisations. These victories are the result of the concentrated efforts of Lithuanian institutions and diplomatic service," said the head of Lithuania's diplomacy, Landsbergis.

A. Kuzmenko is a qualified and experienced lawyer with many years of experience in political, diplomatic, and international negotiations. During his professional career, he held responsible positions at Lithuanian Railways and, from 2016 to the present, has served as the Head of the OTIF’s Legal Department.

OTIF is an international organisation established by the Treaty concerning International Carriage by Rail (COTIF), which is of particular importance to Lithuania for the development of rail transport on global routes in other EU member states, especially in the North-South direction.

The position of Secretary General of OTIF is one of Lithuania's highest achievements in running for the leadership of international organisations.

Lithuanian representatives currently lead the Community of Democracies and the International Telecommunication Union: this year, Mantas Adomėnas became Secretary General of the Community of Democracies, and Tomas Lamanauskas, elected in 2022, is currently the Deputy Secretary General of the International Telecommunication Union.

In 2023, Lithuania became a member of the Executive Council of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). Lithuania, which stood as a candidate in this election, managed to ensure that Russia was not elected to the Executive Council for the first time in the organisation's history, thanks to the consistent efforts of the diplomatic service.

After a vigorous election campaign, Lithuania became a member of the Executive Board of the UN World Tourism Organisation in 2023, was elected to the UN Human Rights Council for the first time in 2021, and became a member of the Executive Board of UNESCO in 2021.

The elections for these positions were highly competitive, with Lithuania beating at least a couple of competitors in each.