Lithuanian foreign minister resigns

Jan 21, 2010
Oskars Magone

The foreign minister was forced to resign after the president said she lost confidence in his ability.

VILNIUS - Lithuanian Foreign Minister Vygaudas Ušackas has announced his resignation after President Dalia GrybauskaitÄ— said she no longer had confidence in him. 

GrybauskaitÄ— made her comments on Wednesday, prompting Ušackasto say he would resign if the Cabinet agreed. The Cabinet agreed thatUšackas could not remain in his post with the support of the president, and he announced his resignation Thursday morning.

"I‘ve signed my letter of resignation and I‘ll present it to the prime minister today. I am confident that Lithuania‘s diplomatic service will satisfy the expectations of the citizens and will vouchsafe the expression of country‘s national interests, independent of any change of personality," Usackas told journalists.

“Currently it’s of paramount importance that the work of the government of Lithuania is smooth and consistent,” Ušackas said.

The president's press secretary had said that she believed Ušackas was too independent. The two have disagreed on a wide range of issues, including the recently unveiled CIA prison and his harsh line on Belarus.

"The President is obliged to remark that a minister cannot have a personal foreign policy and go about implementing it without coordination with the head of state and even, on occasion, with the prime minister."

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