Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė says the duty of the country’s institutions in charge of foreign policy is to protect the people who reported problems at the Lithuanian Embassy in London.
She said this when asked about the future of Ambassador to the UK Eitvydas Bajarūnas who has been accused of misconduct.
“It seems to me that what has been said is very serious. So, let’s ask ourselves how those people who dared to share what hurt them will be able to continue working,” the prime minister told reporters on Thursday.
“It’s our duty [...] to ensure that people are not harmed because they dared to speak up for what is in their hearts,” she added.
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Having looked into the situation at the embassy in London, inspectors from the Foreign Ministry earlier found that Bajarūnas abuses his authority and inappropriately communicates with his staff.
A total of 13 embassy staff members were interviewed, including diplomats, special attachés, civil servants, and contract staff.
Bajarūnas told a press conference earlier this week he had become an instrument in a political fight.
“I find it hard to imagine a political fight involving 13 people who have provided information to inspectors acting under the diplomatic service statute,” Šimonytė said. “I would say this is certainly an attempt to downplay the situation, perhaps by manipulating it a bit.”
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