Lithuanian official's surprise purchase

WASHINGTON, D.C. –VILNIUS (BNS) – Lithuanian Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Vygaudas Usackas bought in a luxurious Washington, D.C. store a jacket made in Lithuania.

During a visit to the United States last week, the deputy minister was faced with some unexpected trouble as his suitcase containing a suit for important meetings had been apparently lost following a flight from Puerto Rico to Washington, D.C. To replace it, Usackas was forced to buy a new jacket. The deputy minister found a perfectly suitable jacket of dark moss color at the prestigious Hecht's in the Arlington district in Washington, D.C. that cost him $250.

Wearing the jacket, Usackas read a lecture in the studios of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, where he, among other things, spoke about the growing competitiveness of Lithuanian manufacturers. After the lecture, a consultant of the Latvian Embassy in Washington, D.C. approached Usackas and boasted of his made-in-Lithuania jacket which he had bought in Washington.

Later, when returning to his hotel, Usackas noticed that his jacket also had a made-in-Lithuania label by the designer Oscar de la Renta.

The lost suitcase was returned to Vilnius together with the suit on Nov. 20.