E. Bajarūnas, who held the press conference, stated that “for the first time an ambassador is used in a political struggle”, and he himself received such accusations for the first time in his three decades of service.
“Why have I been silent until now, I think you understand – I take care of the interests of the state and its prestige, the situation harms the prestige of the state and the embassy as well. This is an inadequate situation, the ambassador is used for the first time in a political struggle,” the diplomat said during a press conference in Vilnius on Wednesday.
E. Bajarūnas did not name whose political struggle he found himself in.
“I am a Lithuanian diplomat, a statutory official, so I am expressing what I understood. For the first time, non-statutory methods are being used against me,” said the diplomat.
Press conference of Pauliaus Peleckis/BNS photo/Eitvydas Bajarūnas regarding inaccurate information that appeared in the public
E. Bajarūnas emphasized that the documents were leaked to the media without informing him himself.
The ambassador said that the audit did not find any irregularities in the use of funds in the embassy under his leadership.
E. Bajarūnas claimed that the inspector communicated with only a part of the employees at the embassy, and no one from the ministry listened to his version.
Claims to be demanding and active
E.Bajarūnas held the press conference after the conclusions of the General Inspection of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs unfavorable to the ambassador were published in the media.
The portal delfi.lt states that the inspectors received complaints that the ambassador communicates inappropriately with employees, and his wife Giedrė Žickytė delegates personal tasks to employees.
According to the inspectors, E. Bajarūnas abuses the powers granted to the manager, so an assessment of his performance should be carried out.
E. Bajarūnas himself says that he is a demanding manager who actively works even on weekends, and this demandingness and activity may not please someone.
“In the United Kingdom, you also have to meet Lithuanians on weekends (…) and it is natural that my activity and demands go beyond the standard limits,” said the ambassador.
The ambassador said that he understands that the driver may not want to work on weekends, but he has to communicate with Lithuanians in the United Kingdom, especially as the referendum on dual citizenship approaches.
“The driver is convinced that he does not have to work on weekends. I am convinced that I have to fulfill my duties as an ambassador,” he said.
Defended his wife
Responding to accusations of inappropriate behavior against his wife, the film director Giedrei Žickyta, the ambassador said that she has an official status, receives an official salary and is entitled to perform certain functions.
Press conference of Pauliaus Peleckis/BNS photo/Eitvydas Bajarūnas regarding inaccurate information that appeared in public
“The state hopes (…) that it will perform those functions. To perform those functions, my wife sometimes asked for the help of transport or staff. It did not exceed the authority and there was no abuse of the position”, said E.Bajarūnas.
He said that inaccurate information about his wife was published in the media.
“The next episode was that the wife allegedly asked to register visits to doctors. My wife did not use the services of doctors in London. Period,” said the ambassador.
He paid for the Nausėda tickets himself
Commenting on the visit of President Gitan Nausėda and his wife to the London Opera House, the ambassador said that it was a private invitation.
The diplomat said the tickets were initially paid for through a technical error with embassy funds, and he later paid for them with personal funds.
E. Bajarūnas has almost 30 years of experience in diplomatic work, he was the former Lithuanian ambassador to Sweden and Russia.
Political scientist: It’s like a public trial
Political scientist Ramūnas Vilpišauskas is surprised at the material being leaked to the press and says that the “public court” being prepared harms the reputation of Lithuanian diplomacy.
Žygimantos Gedvilas/BNS photo/Ramūnas Vilpišauskas
“Since the beginning of this story, there have been surprising leaks of internal material and public allegations without an internal investigation.
This creates the impression that someone is publicly clarifying mutual relations in this way, regardless of the fact that it harms the reputation of the Lithuanian diplomatic service”, – 15min said R. Vilpišauskas.
According to the VU TSPMI professor, the ambassador’s possible violations should be evaluated, but now normal standards are not being followed.
“Of course, if the allegations are confirmed, then the behavior of the ambassador should be evaluated accordingly. But now a public court is being prepared, without following the existing rules created for the proper organization of such sensitive processes, and it seems unsound,” he said.
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