Lithuania proposes former Ruginienė advisor as new representative to OSCE

The Lithuanian government has nominated Kęstutis Kudzmanas, a former senior advisor to Prime Minister Inga Ruginienė, as the country’s next permanent representative to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), state broadcaster LRT reports.

If approved by President Gitanas Nausėda, Kudzmanas will assume the role of Lithuania’s permanent representative to the OSCE, the UN Office in Vienna, the International Anti-Corruption Academy, the International Atomic Energy Agency, and the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization starting June 2. He would succeed interim chargé d’affaires Donatas Žiugžda, who took over after Ambassador Vaidotas Verba was recalled in August last year.

Kudzmanas previously served as Lithuania’s ambassador to Moldova until summer 2022 and has held diplomatic posts in Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Russia. He also worked as director of the Administrative Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and as ambassador-at-large for Eastern Europe and Central Asia. In January 2025, he joined then-Prime Minister Gintautas Paluckas’ team as an advisor and remained in the role under Ruginienė until this week.

The government also proposed recalling Ambassador Tadas Valionis from Moldova as of August 27. Under Lithuanian law, ambassadors are appointed and dismissed by the president following approval from the Seimas Foreign Affairs Committee and the Cabinet.