Lithuania: Government nominates new ambassador to South Africa

The Lithuanian government has nominated Rasa Jankauskaite as the country’s new ambassador to South Africa, BNS reports. If approved by President Gitanas Nauseda, Jankauskaite will assume office as of 1 September 2023. She said that one of her goals was to agree on visa-free travel for Lithuanian citizens to South Africa, which has a large community of Litvak emigrants of Lithuanian origin. Moreover, Lithuania had important economic interests in South Africa, she added. However, Jankauskaite conceded that South Africa was not a “like-minded country,” given its close ties with Russia. At the same time, she argued that Lithuania was late in establishing closer ties with African countries.