The outgoing head of Lithuania’s State Security Department (VSD), Darius Jauniškis, will be appointed the country’s ambassador to NATO, three unrelated sources have confirmed to BNS.
His nomination has already been approved by the parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs. Jauniškis will replace diplomat Deividas Matulionis.
The intelligence chief refrained from confirming this information when he spoke with the Žiniu Radijas radio last week but said he would be interested in the ambassadorial job.
Jauniškis’ term as the VSD director expires on April 14, and Matulionis will leave his office on April 17.
In Lithuania, ambassadors are appointed by the president with the approval of the Seimas Committee on Foreign Affairs and the government.
Jauniškis, 57, has led the VSD since 2015. Before that, he led the Special Operations Forces of the Lithuanian Armed Forces, worked in the military system since the restoration of Lithuania’s independence, and served in the Afghanistan mission.
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