Juršėnas says Adamkus embodied a different Lithuania

Former Lithuanian parliament speaker Česlovas Juršėnas says Valdas Adamkus represented a different, Western-oriented Lithuania. In an interview published by LRT, he described the former president as a figure who brought a more democratic and understanding style of communication into the country’s political culture.

“Valdas Adamkus is the phenomenon whose name can be used to mark the so-called fourth Lithuania, a different Lithuania,” Juršėnas said on the politika.lt podcast.

Juršėnas said Adamkus’s experience in the United States shaped his approach to public service and relations between people. He described Adamkus as respectful of others, willing to listen to different opinions and open to reaching agreements.

He also said Adamkus’s language skills helped him represent Lithuania abroad, particularly after the country joined the European Union and NATO in 2004. Adamkus could explain what Lithuania was, what it could offer and what it could achieve alone or with others, Juršėnas said.

Juršėnas added that Adamkus’s focus was on Lithuania’s interests rather than personal publicity. He contrasted Adamkus’s experience with that of his own political generation, whose political culture had developed under different circumstances, while stressing that his colleagues had worked for Lithuania.

The interview was conducted as Lithuania marks Adamkus’s 100th birthday while he is still alive.