Former advisers describe Adamkus as an open, unifying president

Valdas Adamkus has turned 100, and his first-term advisers Albinas Januška and Darius Kuolys say his presidency was marked by teamwork and open debate, LRT reported.

Januška said Adamkus was accessible to his advisers, though some had more influence than others. Discussions among the group could be heated, he said, adding that Raimundas Mieželis, a close friend of the president, often voiced things the others could not.

Kuolys described Adamkus as a team player who trusted his advisers and the Lithuanian public. The team debated how to pursue Lithuania’s strategic goals of moving closer to the West, NATO and the European Union, he said. Adamkus listened to arguments before making decisions, and his openness helped bring people together, Kuolys added.

Januška said Lithuania was a candidate for NATO membership and lagged on its path to the European Union when Adamkus took office. By the end of his five-year term, EU negotiations had been completed and Lithuania had been invited to join NATO. Januška said the progress reflected work by the whole country, including the government and then-prime minister Algirdas Brazauskas, who contributed to Lithuania’s EU efforts.