Remigijus Žemaitaitis, who is a member of the Lithuanian parliament and leader of the ruling Nemunas Dawn party, but holds no government posts, held a meeting with Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó. Žemaitaitis said he saw no reason to inform the government or the president about the meeting, while the prime minister’s adviser criticised the politician for undermining the country’s foreign policy line.
Szijjártó visited Šiauliai on Monday, where he was inspecting Hungarian troops stationed in the city. He was welcomed by Deputy Foreign Minister Sigitas Mitkus, but, according to the Seimas, Presidential Office and Government, he did not meet with President Gitanas Nausėda, Prime Minister Inga Ruginienė – currently in Iceland – or Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys, who is visiting the United States.
Žemaitaitis posted a video of the meeting in Šiauliai on Facebook, showing him greeting the Hungarian minister’s motorcade outside a local restaurant.
“An impressive and historic day for Lithuania,” Žemaitaitis wrote. “Foreign policy begins with small steps.”
The meeting drew comment from Ruginienė’s advisor Ignas Dobrovolskas, who urged politicians to maintain a single foreign policy line.
“Lawmakers may meet with foreign officials – that’s not prohibited,” Dobrovolskas told BNS. “But foreign policy is formulated and implemented by the government together with the president. There is no alternative foreign policy in Lithuania, and it’s important that all politicians follow one line, especially in this geopolitically sensitive period.”
The president’s office, meanwhile, commented that Žemaitaitis “lives in an alternative reality”.
“This is an attempt to create an alternative foreign policy. But who can deny that Mr Žemaitaitis lives in an alternative reality?” it commented to BNS.
Žemaitaitis told BNS that the meeting with Szijjártó was “friendly” and lasted about two hours.
“We thanked Hungary for its solidarity and loyalty as a partner – their pilots have been crucial in NATO’s air policing mission, with 19 alerts,” he said. “If not for their dedication, who knows where those drones from Belarus or Russia might have fallen.”
The lawmaker said he had not informed the prime minister or the Foreign Ministry in advance, calling the encounter a “personal meeting”.
“Why should I have to notify anyone? This is a democratic country, not the Kremlin,” he said, adding that politicians often maintain informal contacts with foreign officials.
He also scolded the reporter who asked him about the meeting and criticised Foreign Minister Budrys for failing to resolve border closure issues with Belarus.
“What, is it only Budrys who’s in charge of foreign policymaking over here?” Žemaitaitis snapped. “He’s done enough of his foreign policy, we’ve been cleaning it up for three weeks.”
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