Presidency awaits inquiry before commenting on ambassador Varvuolis

LRT reports that the Lithuanian president’s office will not comment for now on allegations of inappropriate conduct by Ambassador to the United States Gediminas Varvuolis, saying it is awaiting the findings of a Foreign Ministry commission.

“The president will be briefed on the results of the investigation conducted by the commission established by the Foreign Ministry,” presidential adviser Ridas Jasiulionis told ELTA.

News portal Delfi was the first to report alleged problems with the workplace climate at the Lithuanian Embassy in the United States. It obtained the results of an anonymous survey conducted at the end of last year, in which the embassy’s employees gave notably negative responses.

According to Delfi, the Foreign Ministry received complaints about Varvuolis’s conduct. Sources said some embassy employees had reported disrespectful behaviour, raised voices and long working hours.

The Foreign Ministry confirmed to ELTA that it had conducted the employee engagement and job satisfaction survey, saying the results from the Lithuanian Embassy in the United States stood out negatively compared with the overall findings. Varvuolis told ELTA this week that he had not personally heard any complaints from embassy staff.

Inquiry expected to answer questions

The ministry initially said no investigation into Varvuolis had been launched and described the complaints as rumours. On Friday, however, it announced that a commission had been formed to investigate the situation.

Gedas Salyga, an adviser to Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevičius, said the investigation should answer the questions raised about the ambassador.

“The Foreign Ministry is conducting an investigation that should answer all the questions raised. The ministry has already taken steps to improve the working environment at the Lithuanian Embassy in Washington,” Salyga said in a comment conveyed to ELTA.

Varvuolis was appointed ambassador to the United States last summer, replacing diplomat Audra Plepytė. He previously headed Lithuania’s embassies in Japan and Belgium and served as deputy head of Lithuania’s permanent representation to NATO.