Motuzas says no complaints against Lithuania’s US ambassador
Saturday 15th August 2026 on 10:45 in
Lithuania
There is no official information confirming alleged inappropriate conduct by Lithuania’s ambassador to the United States, Gediminas Varvuolis, Seimas Foreign Affairs Committee chairman Remigijus Motuzas said, LRT reported, citing ELTA.
According to Motuzas, representatives of the Foreign Ministry have described only “episodic” issues related mainly to working conditions, including overtime and heavy workloads. They have not received specific complaints about the ambassador’s conduct, he said.
Motuzas gave July 4, a US public holiday, as an example. He said the former ambassador had reportedly allowed employees not to work on US holidays, while Varvuolis had asked staff to work on July 4. Employees should have raised the issue if they believed they were not required to work, he said.
The committee chairman said he had not spoken directly with embassy employees because politicians should avoid interfering in matters under the Foreign Ministry’s authority. A commission formed by the ministry is expected to investigate the circumstances within the next week.
Motuzas also criticised attempts by some Conservative politicians to hold informal discussions with the embassy staff. One of them is Žygimantas Pavilionis, a member of the Homeland Union Lithuanian Christian Democrats parliamentary group and deputy chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee.
The Foreign Ministry has asked the Seimas Ethics and Procedures Commission to assess Pavilionis’ conduct in communicating with embassy employees. It wants the commission to determine whether he breached requirements concerning the reconciliation of public and private interests or improperly used powers granted by his status as a member of parliament.
Motuzas said he plans to meet Varvuolis next week and described him as a professional diplomat. He said the ambassador was properly representing Lithuania’s interests in the United States, citing weekly embassy reports on meetings with members of Congress and the administration.