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The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Linas Linkevičius opened an Honorary Consulate of Lithuania on 13 October in the historic Capitol building in Madison, the capital of the State of Wisconsin. The Governor Scott Walker attended the opening ceremony of Lithuania’s first Honorary Consulate in this Midwestern state.  

Honorary Consul Leslie Liautaud is Wisconsin’s famous businesswoman, philanthropist and public figure. She runs the restaurant chain Jimmy John’s together with her spouse, an entrepreneur with Lithuanian roots. This year, the company has successfully joined the expanding American-Lithuanian Business Council.

In the meeting with the Governor of Wisconsin, Minister Linkevičius discussed the development of economic and cultural ties between Lithuania and the State of Wisconsin following the opening of the Honorary Consulate.

When speaking at the annual convention of Lithuania’s Honorary Consuls in the U.S., The Minister stressed the importance of their activities.

“You are our country’s ambassadors. We have to find ways to cooperate even more efficiently, especially in the context of changing security and geopolitical architecture,” the Minister told the honorary consuls.

At the convention, Honorary Consul in Philadelphia Krista Bard was awarded the highest award of the Ministry of Cultureof Lithuania for organising the Lithuania’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union event – the Lithuanian Days during the contemporary art fair in Philadelphia.

The Foreign Minister also delivered a public lecture “Threats of the Russian parallel reality” in the University of Wisconsin-Madison. During this meeting, the Minister presented to and discussed with the participants the situation in the region, the Eastern Partnership and security policy challenges.