Monday, December 30, 2013

Embassy of Lithuania, 2622 16th Street, N.W., Washington, DC

 


 
Jane and I went to the embassy a couple of weeks ago to apply for our visas.  It's a gorgeous building in a neighborhood that's chock-a-block with embassies and consulates, including the Cuban Interest section of the embassy of Switzerland.  Maybe it's a sign of the times that the consular officer who interviewed us wanted to know all about our health insurance coverage and required further documentation of the Blue Cross/Blue Shield policy that I hold as a retiree of the federal service, and also of the supplemental insurance provided to Fulbrighters by the Department of State.  It made me wonder if there are documented cases of American citizens traveling to Lithuania for major surgery on the assumption that the host government would be willing to pay for it.  It doesn't seem very likely, at least not to me.  I know that when it comes time for my quadruple bypass surgery, I'll be lighting out for Cleveland.
 
   

Thursday, December 26, 2013


In today's Washington Post, Anne Applebaum discusses the kinds of pressures that can be exerted by Russia on its neighbors, especially those who might be most tempted by cooperation with the European Union and NATO.  The photo above shows  a Russian Iskander missile of the type deployed, as Vladimir Putin recently conceded, in Kaliningrad oblast, the Russian exclave lying between Lithuania and Poland.  

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Our Woman in Vilnius


A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of meeting the U.S. Ambassador to Lithuania, Deborah Ann McCarthy.  Ms. McCarthy is a career foreign service officer.  She has served in Athens, Managua, Paris, Rome, Montreal, and Port au Prince, among other places.  She was educated at the University of Virginia and Georgetown University, where she earned two Masters degrees.  Like her counterpart, Žygimantas Pavilionis, the Lithuanian ambassador to the United States, she speaks five languages.

I heard Ambassador McCarthy speak at a symposium sponsored by the Women's Foreign Policy Group. In the WFPG newsletter, it was said that the Ambassador "spoke about the US and the Baltics, with a focus on energy, Russia, and NATO.  In her remarks, McCarthy discussed the importance of the current Lithuanian presidency of the European Union, as well as the increased tensions between the EU and Russia over the Eastern Partnership, which has further strained Russian-Baltic relations."


Saturday, October 26, 2013

Fulbright Orientation: the Lithuanian Connection


Because Lithuania--unlike, say, Finland--does not have its own Fulbright Commission, it is considered a "post" country, and the orientation program is run by Washington bureaucrats, with a little help from Fulbright alumni.  We received guidance on filling out the many forms that come with the program.  And we learned a lot about Lithuania. Pictured above, moving clockwise from the empty chair, are Ken Kolson, Jane Kolson, Inga Mileviciute, Kathleen Burns, Joseph Bulsys, Rick Horner, and Frank Barnas.


Thursday, October 24, 2013

Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipoteniary


Yeah, that's quite a title that comes along with being the ambassador of Lithuania to the United States.  His name is Žygimantas Pavilionis, and he's a career diplomat who was educated (philosophy and international relations) at Vilnius University.  I met him a few weeks ago at an event at the National Press Club.