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Lithuanian ambassador talks about European security in Penn Law “fireside chat”

April 16, 2015

The discussion centered upon Eastern Europe's present role in the EU and, in particular, the power dynamic and tensions between Russia, t...
The discussion centered upon Eastern Europe’s present role in the EU and, in particular, the power dynamic and tensions between Russia, the West, and the rest of Europe.
Professor William Burke-White spoke with Lithuanian Ambassador to the United States Žygimantas Pavilionis on Eastern Europe’s role in the EU in Penn Law “fireside chat.”

By Kathy Zhang C’17

On April 8, Žygimantas Pavilionis, the Lithuanian Ambassador to the United States, spoke with Penn Law professor William Burke-White of Penn Law at a “fireside chat,” the second of a series of conversations with ambassadors and international dignitaries.

The evening’s program was sponsored by the Office of International Programs, the Perry World House, the Journal of International Law, the Eastern European Law Students Association, and the Department of Slavic Languages and Literature.

The discussion centered upon Eastern Europe’s present role in the EU and, in particular, the power dynamic and tensions between Russia, the West, and the rest of Europe. Pavilionis, who most recently served as chief coordinator for Lithuania’s presidency of the Community of Democracies as well as for the Transatlantic Cooperation and Security Policy Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, played a key role in Lithuania’s integration into NATO and the EU following Lithuania’s independence in 1990.

Burke-White’s extensive experience includes serving on the Secretary of State’s Policy Planning Staff from 2009–2011, where he advised on a range of issues spanning Eastern Europe, the Baltics, and the Russian Federation.

“Lithuania is a country that I will simply say I love,” said Burke-White, who is also Richard Perry Professor and Inaugural Director of the Perry World House. “But it’s also a country that today finds itself at the very heart of the biggest challenges in Europe. This is a chance for us to really think about the region and Lithuania’s role in the region.”

Pavilionis noted Lithuania’s accomplishments since achieving independence from Soviet rule in 1990. “We did it all in twenty-five years. We joined the European Union…NATO…we were the president of the Council of the European Union in 2013, and in two weeks we start our last presidency of the Security Council of the U.N.,” he said. “For a country that was a captive nation, these are big steps.”

Despite these positive steps forward for Lithuania, Pavilionis voiced his concerns over the democratic state in Europe as a whole and, in particular, how Russia’s actions have affected international affairs.

“We started the twenty-first century with some kind of accommodation [to Russia],” said Pavilionis. “In 2000 when one of the KGB was elected president, he started killing democracy. What was the response of the West? Nothing.”

Pavilionis went on to discuss the string of diplomatic crises he believed were a result of the West’s policy of accommodation. “It took two months for NATO to forget what Russia did in Georgia in 2008,” he said. “One year ago it was Crimea. This year it’s Eastern Ukraine. So we’re just asking, who’s next?”

In spite of these setbacks, however, Pavilionis still has great faith in the West to preserve freedom and rule of law around the world. He emphasized the need to first “reinstate confidence” in Western diplomacy.

“We take freedom for granted,” said Pavilionis. “We forget that we have to fight for freedom every day. Democracies have to help each other stay democracies.”

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