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Sigismund Pavilionis, chairman of the Seimas Foreign Affairs Committee (URK) and former Lithuanian ambassador to the United States, says it would be very nice if the new ambassador in Washington, whom Lithuania has not had since late last summer, start working at the less until Easter.
On the other hand, the fact that ambassador candidates should be considered by the Seimas Foreign Affairs Commission (CCA) should not rule out the possibility that, at least in the public sphere, the process for appointing US ambassadors. slowdown is associated with the concept of “political cooling” introduced by the president. The Seimas membership factor can also bring additional passions if the CEC decides not to approve any of the nominations.
And although, according to experts, the Constitution clearly establishes that the Seimas does not have the right to interfere with the powers granted to the Government and the President to appoint and remove ambassadors, there are many cases in history in which the Seimas Committee did otherwise.
It will be necessary to obtain the consent of a foreign state to receive an ambassador
Ž. According to Pavilionis, if the Lithuanian authorities agree on the nominations for ambassadors, it will be necessary to wait for the consent of the foreign state to accept a diplomatic representative (aggreman). This process, politicians point out, may take some time.
“It just came to our knowledge then. But the agrarians will arrive earlier. I think all parties, both the United States and Germany, want us to have those people as soon as possible,” said Eltai, a former US ambassador. Pavilion.
“Give it to God, before Easter, so that we can,” he added.
According to the conservative, unless the appointment of an ambassador in the structures of the European Union can take place a little faster than in the nation states.
“There, the appointment process is quite fast. You can’t say it’s automatic, but it’s easier, ”said Ž. Pavilion.
According to him, foreign countries to which the ambassador will be appointed may have questions about the proposed staff. On the other hand, with an emphasis on politicians, questions may also arise for Seimas members who work in the CEC.
The Diplomatic Service Law stipulates that “after prior consideration of the candidacy in the Foreign Relations Committee of the Seimas, the President of the Republic shall appoint a diplomatic representative of a foreign state in a foreign state with the consent of that foreign state through a decree signed by the Prime Minister. “
In other words, upon receiving the conclusion of the CEC, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs addresses the foreign state to which the candidate for the post of ambassador will be sent. With consent, the government presents a coordinated candidacy to the president, who appoints an ambassador.
President of URK Ž. Pavilionis Eltai noted that throughout history there have been various committee decisions regarding ambassador candidates; the members of the Seimas did not always agree with the proposals. And in this case, says the conservative, the committee will not necessarily agree. URK position, Ž stated. The pavilion, in each case, will depend on the professionalism of the ambassador candidate.
“Everything has been in our history, there have been disagreements, but I hope the choice is such that we have no doubts (…) Basically, it will depend on human professionalism. No party is opposed to the professionals we have seen on diplomatic fronts for decades. Therefore, there must be universal acceptance, because it guarantees continuity, long-term sustainability, ”said Eltai Ž. Pavilion.
“The more professional, the more likely there are no problems. If this principle is not upheld, there may be various problems. If we don’t know a person, we haven’t seen how they worked … If there is a political candidate who has not warmed up feet in the diplomatic service, many questions may arise or we may even expect a disagreement, “he said. the politician.
And in fact there are episodes in the history of the Seimas Foreign Affairs Commission, when the parliamentarians spoke against the will of the ambassador or the president. For example, in 2013 the CEC did not support the decision to withdraw the ambassadors of Azerbaijan and Hungary after phone calls to diplomats were made public. However, URK’s position was ignored by the Government and its decision was not modified.
The CEC has also opposed the appointment of former Foreign Minister Antanas Valionis as ambassador to Belarus in 2006 and Argentina in 2007.
The CEC’s decision on the ambassadorial candidacy determines nothing
One of the creators of the Constitution, Professor Vytautas Sinkevičius from Mykolas Romeris University (MRU), claims that the Seimas Committee has no instrument to prevent the government from proposing a candidate for ambassador and the president from proposing a candidate.
“We must be guided by the principle of separation of powers. According to the Constitution, only two entities participate in the appointment of ambassadors. The Ambassador is appointed by the President at the proposal of the Government. Therefore, no other entity, be it a committee, a commission or any council, can make decisions that do not allow the government to nominate a candidate or allow the president to appoint an ambassador ”, V. Sinkevičius told Eltai.
According to him, the CEC in this sense limits itself to expressing its opinion, that it does not have constitutional power to appoint ambassadors.
“The Law on Diplomatic Service stipulates that the candidacy is examined by the Foreign Relations Commission. They can consider the candidacy, everything is fine, but their decision cannot be judged in such a way that if they do not agree, it is not possible to nominate a They consider, know each other, show their points of view, but that has no legal consequences: neither for the Government nor for the President, “said the MRU professor.
“It is common practice to show a courteous attitude towards parliament. The opinion of the commission is requested, but it is only a gesture of courtesy. Therefore, its decision is not binding on the government and the government can present a candidacy that the committee does not. approved, and the president can appoint someone who did not approve the committee, ”summarized V. Sinkevičius.
Raimundas Karoblis and Linas Linkevičius, who have served as ministers in the Saulius Skvernelis government, have recently been the center of public attention when President Gitanas Nausėda refused to appoint them to ambassadorial posts to the United States and the European Union. President G. Nausėda has repeatedly argued such a decision on the grounds that “political cooling” is necessary for outgoing ministers who have performed their functions correctly.
ELTA recalls that currently Lithuania has not appointed ambassadors to the United States, Germany, the EU, Turkey, Australia, UNESCO, the Council of Europe.
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