Lithuania in the News
23rd February 2014
Lithuania’s Ambassador Egidijus Meilūnas Presents His Credentials to Australia’s Governor-General
Ambassador Egidijus Meilūnas (left) with Lithuania’s Honorary
Consul Ginta Viliūnas in front of the Consulate in Sydney.
Photo courtesy “Mūsų Pastogė”
Lithuania’s new Ambassador-designate to Australia, Mr. Egidijus Meilūnas, presented his credentials to the Governor-General of Australia, Quentin Bryce, in Canberra on Monday, February 17, 2014. Mr. Meilūnas is Lithuania’s second Ambassador to Australia since Lithuania and Australia opened diplomatic relations on November 6, 1991. He also represents Lithuania in Japan, the Philippines and New Zealand and will continue to reside in Japan. As well, at the consular level Lithuania has two Honorary Consuls in Australia – Ginta Viliūnas in Sydney and Danutė Levickis in Melbourne.
While visiting Australia Mr. Meilūnas, accompanied by his wife Galina Meilūnienė, took the opportunity on their short stay in Australia to meet up with Lithuanians in Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne. On Saturday, February 15, Sydney Lithuanians met the Ambassador over an enjoyable lunch, hosted by Honorary Consul Ginta Viliūnas and the Australian Lithuanian Community of Sydney at Lithuania’s Consulate in the Sydney suburb of Clifton Gardens. Lithuanians in Canberra and Melbourne met the Ambassador on February 17 and 18.
On Sunday, February 16, Ambassador Meilūnas made a presentation on behalf of the President of Lithuania honouring a Lithuanian couple, the late Josifas and Agripina Meškėnas, who showed great courage in helping Jews in Lithuania during the Holocaust. To receive a scroll and the “Žūvančiųjų Gelbėjimo Kryžius” medal on behalf of his parents was the famous Australian Lithuanian portrait artist Vladas Meškėnas with his son Eugene. At the presentation the Australian Lithuanian Community of Sydney was represented by its President, Dr. Ramutis Zakarevičius. Josifas and Agripina Meškėnas had also been honoured as “Righteous Among the Nations” in an earlier ceremony in Sydney by the Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum in Israel.


Further information on this website:
News/ Lithuanians in the News, 24th November, 2013, News Archive/ Lithuanians in the News, 23rd December 2012