New appointments in the Baltics

  • 2001-05-24
On May 15, Lithuanian President Valdas Adamkus approved the country's new health minister, Romual-das Dobro-volskis. The 61-year-old Dobrovolskis is a doctor. He studied medicine at Vilnius University and has run the radiology center at the university's Santariskiu Clinic since 1993. The health minister was nominated by the New Union (Social Liberals), in accordance with Liberal/Social Liberal coalition agreements.


Lithuanian President Valdas Adamkus signed a decree naming Deividas Matulionis as Lithuania's new ambassador to Denmark on May 16.

Priorly, Matulionis had been adviser to the prime minister on international relations.

Matulionis will replace Ambassador to Denmark Jasinevicius, whose credentials were accepted in the fall of 1994.

Matulionis, a 38-year-old economist by education, began service in the Lithuanian Foreign Ministry in 1991. He was named adviser to the prime minister for foreign relations in 1998.


The council of the Lithuanian National Radio and Television elected Valentinas Milaknis, the former economy minister in the Conservative government of Andrius Kubilius, director general on May 8.

Milaknis was selected out of 11 candidates by secret ballot.

Milaknis, 53, is an engineer by education and has been employed at the Communal Planning Institute. From 1989-1999 Milaknis headed Lithuania's leading information technologies company Alna before his appointment as economy minister. Milaknis held the post until the Cabinet reshuffle after the October 2000 general elections.

The competition for a new director general was called following the resignation of Vaidotas Zukas last month.

Zukas stepped down after over a year at the helm of the debt-ridden company, saying the reasons behind his resignation were differing opinions between him and the council on administrating the debt.

The national broadcaster's debt to different creditors stands at approximately 19 million litas ($4.75 million). Lithuanian National Radio and Television has had its bank accounts frozen due to the debts and has received warnings that its utilities will be cut off.