LITHUANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER EXPRESSES CONDOLENCES OVER THE DEATH OF FAMOUS U.S. DIPLOMAT, FRIEND OF THE BALTIC STATES
On May 2 Audronius Ažubalis, Lithuanian Minister of Foreign Affairs sent a letter to the U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton expressing condolences over the death of former U.S. diplomat and political scientist Ronald Asmus. “R. Asmus opened the door to NATO for Lithuania. He was one of the first prominent Western politicians and famous security experts, who aimed at admitting the Baltic States into the Alliance and consistently supported this objective while working for the U.S. President Bill Clinton’s administration. He was a true friend of Lithuania and of all the Baltic States,” reads the Minister’s letter.
Mr. Asmus was an American diplomat and political scientist who has greatly contributed to the development of Europe’s new security architecture during the two decades after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Before serving as the U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs in 1997-2000 Mr. Asmus worked as an analyst for the Rand Corporation, was fellow at the Radio Free Europe, and was one of the main advocates of closer cooperation between the U.S.A. and Europe.
He has significantly contributed to the establishment of the so-called Vilnius Ten, the group of the ten European countries. Mr. Asmus was one of the main contributors to the U.S.-Baltic Charter that resulted in a strategic partnership between the Baltic countries and the United States, and made it possible for Lithuania to join the transatlantic family.
During the final years of his life, Mr. Asmus worked permanently in Brussels and comprehensively helped the new members of the European Union and NATO to solve key tasks of security, energy security, and other problems of the Baltic and the Black Sea regions.
Brussels Forum was launched at the initiative of Mr. Asmus and rwas egularly attended by representatives from Lithuania. The forum became one of the most important centres for strategic discussions linking the U.S.A. with Europe. Mr. Asmus was also one of the most active initiators and participants of the so-called Snow Meeting, an informal debate on international and security policy, which was annually held in Trakai.
Mr. Asmus visited Lithuania a few times. In 1999, he was awarded the Grand Cross of Commander of the Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas.
