Lithuania's government has put forward nominations for new ambassadors to Australia and Singapore, with both appointments subject to approval by President Gitanas Nausėda.
Donatas Butkus has been proposed as ambassador to Australia, with a planned start date of August 4. In addition to his primary posting, he will also represent Lithuania in New Zealand.
Renata Jasilionytė has been nominated as ambassador to Singapore, where she is due to take up her post on August 18. She will additionally be accredited to Brunei, Indonesia, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
Presenting her nomination to the cabinet, Jasilionytė said Southeast Asia was growing in strategic importance for Lithuania, particularly in the fields of financial technology, energy and cybersecurity. She also pointed to export opportunities and potential cooperation on regional infrastructure projects.
"There are many ambitions; we will need to find the opportunities," she said.
Jasilionytė brings broad multilateral experience to the role, having previously served in the Foreign Ministry's Sanctions Group, the Lithuanian embassy in Washington, the country's mission to the United Nations in Geneva, and Lithuania's representation to the European Union.
Meanwhile, Butkus said his goals included raising Lithuania's profile in the Oceania region, deepening security cooperation with Australia, and promoting investment and engagement with the Lithuanian diaspora. He also said he intended to strengthen institutional ties between the two countries, including encouraging Australia to open an embassy in Vilnius, which it does not currently have.
Butkus has held diplomatic posts at Lithuania's representation to the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the consulate general in Kaliningrad, and the embassies in Sweden and Ukraine.
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