[ad_1]
“I am a statutory state official at the moment and my limits are to comment … There are many systemic questions, I answered them in the Seimas committee and now the Seimas committee has to draw conclusions,” Karoblis told reporters after leaving closing. NSGK meeting.
When asked if the president had nominated his candidate for military intelligence, Karoblis did not answer the question directly to reporters. Only, the former minister admitted, several surnames were considered during the appointment process of the holder of the AOTD.
“Other names were mentioned during the consultations. I answered all the questions from the committee members,” he said.
However, Mr. Karoblis noted that the AOTD director had been appointed as required by law.
“Colonel Paulavičius has been appointed Director of the AOTD by order of me, as provided by law. Prior to the appointment, consultations were held with the President, Prime Minister and President of the NSGK,” said R. Karoblis.
R. Karoblis was summoned to the NSGK after questions were raised in the public sphere about the role of President Gitan Nausėda in the appointment of the Director of the Second Department of Operational Services. A new AOTD director, Elegijus Paulavičius, was appointed in August. At that time, R. Karoblis was the Minister of National Defense.
According to LNK News, the circumstances of the appointment of the Director of the AOTD may have been related to why the former Minister of National Defense R. Karobli was not entrusted with the position of Ambassador in Washington or Brussels.
It was announced that the president could have his candidate – Saul Guzevičius, an associate of the head of the SSD Darius Jauniškis. R. Karoblis, a few weeks ago, asked the journalists if it was true that his candidate for the leadership of the AOTD was E. Paulavičius, and Saulius Guzevičius, a colleague of the president – the head of the SSD D. Jauniškis, neither confirmed nor denied this fact.
The presidency, for its part, claims that the new AOTD director, E. Paulavičius, was appointed by the then Minister of National Defense, R. Karoblio.
Asta Skaisgirytė, the chief adviser to the head of state, said last week that the president would not comment on information released by anonymous sources about his possible role in the appointment of the AOTD director.
R. Karoblis, who served as a minister in the government of Saulius Skvernelis, as well as the former head of Lithuanian diplomacy Linas Linkevičius, has recently been the center of public attention when President G. Nausėda refused to appoint them to ambassadorial posts in the U.S. and the European Union.
President G. Nausėda has repeatedly argued such a decision on the basis that “political cooling” is necessary for outgoing ministers who have performed their functions correctly. In public, these arguments have been widely criticized.
No part of this publication may be reproduced without the written permission of ELTA.
[ad_2]
