News

On 29 September Lithuanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Petras Vaitiekūnas appointed two Undersecretaries of Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Žygimantas Pavilionis and Laimonas Talat-Kelpša.

Until this appointment Žygimantas Pavilionis was Political Director of the Ministry and headed the European Union Department.

He was born on 22 July, 1971 and graduated  from the Institute of International Relations and Political Science of the University of Vilnius in 1994; received M.A. in Philosophy at the University of Vilnius in 1995.

In 1993-1999 he was Third Secretary of the West European Division, Assistant to Political Department Director, First Secretary  of the Political Cooperation Division of the European Integration Department and Head of the Political Cooperation Division.

In 1999-2002 he was appointed  Counsellor of Lithuanian Permanent Mission to the EC and later – Minister Counsellor of the Mission.

In 2002-2004 Mr Pavilionis was Director of  the European Union Department and Deputy Chief Negotiator of Lithuania for the EU accession.

Laimonas Talat-Kelpša headed the Foreign Policy Analysis and Planning Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs since 2004.

He was born on 4 November 1977 and received M.A. in Comparative Politics at the Institute of International Relations and Political Science of the University of Vilnius in 2000; also studied at the Department of Political Science, University of Oslo (Norway).

In 1998-2003 he worked as Assistant to the National Security and Foreign Policy Adviser and  Assistant Foreign Policy Adviser of the President of Lithuania.

In 2003 he was appointed Head of Foreign Policy Analysis and Planning Division, of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.