He was born into an engineer and teacher family. His childhood and school years were spent in Kaunas. In 1978, he graduated from the Kaunas 7th Secondary School with a gold medal. From 1978-1983, he studied at the Faculty of Automation of Kaunas Polytechnic Institute, graduating with an electrical engineering degree. During the rest of the 80s, he served as secretary of the local Lithuanian Komsomol district in Panemunė.
Political careerEdit
Linkevičius served as minister of National Defence from 1993 to 1996 and from 2000 to 2004. He was the Lithuanian Permanent Representative to NATO from 2005 until 2011.
Throughout his term as foreign minister, Linkevičius has corroborated Lithuania's status within many international and multilateral entities and organizations, including the United Nations, NATO and the European Union. He managed to establish strong personal ties with prominent international leaders like Laurent Fabius, Angela Merkel and Shimon Peres, whom he invited to be an advisor to the project of the Jewish Memorial Center in Vilnius, on the site of the Great Synagogue of Vilna.
He is known to be a partisan of international collaboration in fields like science, sport and the arts, in order to strengthen the image of Lithuania and to enhance its global standpoint.
In 2015, Linkevičius visited Saudi Arabia and met with the King Salman of Saudi Arabia. He said back then "I think that after this visit our relations will become much more systematic."[2]
On 9 March 2018, after Poland's referral to the European Court of Justice, leaders of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia expressed their support for Poland over the Article 7 of the Treaty on European Union.[4] On 13 September 2018, Linkevičius has re-confirmed Lithuania's stand: "We will oppose the sanctions against Poland. This dialogue is very complicated but we believe that the result will be positive."[5]
Other activitiesEdit
Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA), Member of the International Leadership Council (since 2022)[6]
Linkevičius with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in 2020
Linkevičius has been a constant opponent within the European Union and NATO of compromises with Russia over Ukraine. When measures to re-engage Russia were discussed in Brussels, in January 2015, he strongly objected. "I do not think we should think how to re-engage; Russia should think how to re-engage . . . I see no reason why we should invent something," he was quoted.[8]
"We can't trust a single word of the Russian leadership. [Russia's] statements are worthless," he was quoted as saying in a public speech in March 2015, scolding some of his European Union colleagues for being detached from "reality" in seeking to soften or unroll some of the sanctions against Russia. [9]
In a newspaper column, in June 2015, Linkevičius warned Lithuania's NATO partners against regression to a mid-Cold War-like détente with Russia, as the one experienced in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Russia, he wrote, no longer poses "a serious alternative to Western liberal democracy", and its adversarial relations with the rest of Europe are "just a Kremlin construct, invented by modern Russia to cover failures of reform."[10]
Referring to Lithuania as a "frontline state" with Russia, he urged in that column that "NATO’s capabilities should be based on sober threat analyses, not illusions. Anything that the Kremlin perceives as weakness will encourage it to press ahead."
AwardsEdit
In March 2021, the Center for Belarusian Solidarity awarded Linkevičius the Global Belarusian Solidarity Award in the category "Melted Ice".[11]
^"Lithuania to intensify cooperation with Saudi Arabia". Lithuania Tribune. 17 February 2016.
^"Linkevičius: Lithuania calls on Armenia and Azerbaijan to stop military action". Delfi. 28 September 2020. from the original on 1 October 2020.
^"Baltic states against EU sanctions on Poland EURACTIV.com". www.euractiv.com. 13 March 2018.
^"UAWire - Lithuania promises not support the EU sanctions against Poland". uawire.org. 14 September 2018.
^CEPA Announces High-Level Advisory Group led by Gen. McMaster and Min. Kramp-Karrenbauer Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA), press release of 6 July 2022.
linas, antanas, linkevičius, born, january, 1961, lithuanian, diplomat, former, minister, foreign, affairs, minister, national, defence, linas, linkevičiusminister, foreign, affairsin, office, december, 2012, december, 2020prime, ministeralgirdas, butkevičiuss. Linas Antanas Linkevicius born 6 January 1961 is a Lithuanian diplomat and a former Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of National Defence Linas LinkeviciusMinister of Foreign AffairsIn office 13 December 2012 11 December 2020Prime MinisterAlgirdas ButkeviciusSaulius SkvernelisPreceded byAudronius AzubalisSucceeded byGabrielius LandsbergisMinister of National DefenceIn office 26 October 2000 14 December 2004Prime MinisterRolandas PaksasEugenijus Gentvilas Acting Algirdas BrazauskasPreceded byCeslovas StankeviciusSucceeded byGediminas KirkilasIn office 28 October 1993 27 November 1996Prime MinisterAdolfas SlezeviciusLaurynas StankeviciusPreceded byAudrius ButkeviciusSucceeded byCeslovas StankeviciusPersonal detailsBorn 1961 01 06 6 January 1961 age 62 Vilnius LithuaniaPolitical partyDemocratic Labour Party 1990 2001 Social Democratic Party of Lithuania 2001 2017 Independent 2017 present Alma materKaunas University of Technology Contents 1 Early life 2 Political career 3 Minister of Foreign Affairs 2012 2020 4 Other activities 5 Political positions 6 Awards 7 See also 8 References 9 External linksEarly life EditHe was born into an engineer and teacher family His childhood and school years were spent in Kaunas In 1978 he graduated from the Kaunas 7th Secondary School with a gold medal From 1978 1983 he studied at the Faculty of Automation of Kaunas Polytechnic Institute graduating with an electrical engineering degree During the rest of the 80s he served as secretary of the local Lithuanian Komsomol district in Panemune Political career EditLinkevicius served as minister of National Defence from 1993 to 1996 and from 2000 to 2004 He was the Lithuanian Permanent Representative to NATO from 2005 until 2011 Minister of Foreign Affairs 2012 2020 Edit nbsp Linkevicius with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif 28 May 2016In December 2012 Linkevicius was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs 1 Throughout his term as foreign minister Linkevicius has corroborated Lithuania s status within many international and multilateral entities and organizations including the United Nations NATO and the European Union He managed to establish strong personal ties with prominent international leaders like Laurent Fabius Angela Merkel and Shimon Peres whom he invited to be an advisor to the project of the Jewish Memorial Center in Vilnius on the site of the Great Synagogue of Vilna He is known to be a partisan of international collaboration in fields like science sport and the arts in order to strengthen the image of Lithuania and to enhance its global standpoint In 2015 Linkevicius visited Saudi Arabia and met with the King Salman of Saudi Arabia He said back then I think that after this visit our relations will become much more systematic 2 Linkevicius expressed deep concern over the escalation of hostilities in the disputed region of Nagorno Karabakh and called on Armenia and Azerbaijan to immediately halt fighting and progress towards a peaceful resolution 3 On 9 March 2018 after Poland s referral to the European Court of Justice leaders of Latvia Lithuania and Estonia expressed their support for Poland over the Article 7 of the Treaty on European Union 4 On 13 September 2018 Linkevicius has re confirmed Lithuania s stand We will oppose the sanctions against Poland This dialogue is very complicated but we believe that the result will be positive 5 Other activities EditCenter for European Policy Analysis CEPA Member of the International Leadership Council since 2022 6 European Council on Foreign Relations ECFR Member 7 Political positions Edit nbsp Linkevicius with U S Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in 2020Linkevicius has been a constant opponent within the European Union and NATO of compromises with Russia over Ukraine When measures to re engage Russia were discussed in Brussels in January 2015 he strongly objected I do not think we should think how to re engage Russia should think how to re engage I see no reason why we should invent something he was quoted 8 We can t trust a single word of the Russian leadership Russia s statements are worthless he was quoted as saying in a public speech in March 2015 scolding some of his European Union colleagues for being detached from reality in seeking to soften or unroll some of the sanctions against Russia 9 In a newspaper column in June 2015 Linkevicius warned Lithuania s NATO partners against regression to a mid Cold War like detente with Russia as the one experienced in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s Russia he wrote no longer poses a serious alternative to Western liberal democracy and its adversarial relations with the rest of Europe are just a Kremlin construct invented by modern Russia to cover failures of reform 10 Referring to Lithuania as a frontline state with Russia he urged in that column that NATO s capabilities should be based on sober threat analyses not illusions Anything that the Kremlin perceives as weakness will encourage it to press ahead Awards EditIn March 2021 the Center for Belarusian Solidarity awarded Linkevicius the Global Belarusian Solidarity Award in the category Melted Ice 11 See also EditList of foreign ministers in 2017 List of current foreign ministersReferences Edit Grybauskaite approves new government Lithuania to intensify cooperation with Saudi Arabia Lithuania Tribune 17 February 2016 Linkevicius Lithuania calls on Armenia and Azerbaijan to stop military action Delfi 28 September 2020 Archived from the original on 1 October 2020 Baltic states against EU sanctions on Poland EURACTIV com www euractiv com 13 March 2018 UAWire Lithuania promises not support the EU sanctions against Poland uawire org 14 September 2018 CEPA Announces High Level Advisory Group led by Gen McMaster and Min Kramp Karrenbauer Center for European Policy Analysis CEPA press release of 6 July 2022 Members European Council on Foreign Relations EU foreign ministers attack call to soften Russia stance Financial Times 2015 01 19 Retrieved 2023 03 10 Bendavid Naftali Lithuania Presses Hard Line on Russia WSJ Retrieved 2023 03 10 Linkevicius Linas Detente With Russia Won t Work This Time WSJ Retrieved 2023 03 10 https belsat eu en news 30 03 2021 belsat wins global belarusian solidarity award External links Edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Linas Antanas Linkevicius Short biographyPolitical officesPreceded byAudrius Butkevicius Minister of National Defence1993 1996 Succeeded byCeslovas StankeviciusPreceded byCeslovas Stankevicius Minister of National Defence2000 2004 Succeeded byGediminas KirkilasPreceded byAudronius Azubalis Minister of Foreign Affairs2012 2020 Succeeded byGabrielius Landsbergis Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Linas Antanas Linkevicius amp oldid 1149689798, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
