On 12 June, the Perth USAsia Centre hosted a roundtable discussion with His Excellency Mr Darius Degutis, Lithuanian Ambassador to Australia.
Three years since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Lithuania continues to grapple with an unstable region. It is a staunch NATO member and Ukraine supporter, but shares a border with Russia, and in recent years has also faced economic coercion from China.
The discussion covered how a small state such as Lithuania is navigating these geopolitical headwinds, what Russian and Chinese positions on Ukraine mean for the Indo-Pacific, and how Australia and Lithuania can work together to protect the rules-based order.
Guest speaker
HE Mr Darius Degutis is a career diplomat, with expertise in international security, energy policy, Middle Eastern Affairs and public diplomacy.
During his career, he has served as Ambassador in Tel Aviv (2009-2014) and Warsaw (2001-2004) and as Deputy Chief of Mission in Washington (1998-2001) and Copenhagen (1992-1995). He has held senior roles in Lithuania’s Foreign Ministry, including as Special Envoy for Energy Security (2017), Ambassador at Large for External Economic Relations (2014-2016) and Director of the NATO Foreign Ministers Summit in Lithuania (2004-2005).
He holds qualifications from the Harvard Kennedy School, the European Security and Defence College, and the University of Oxford. He is fluent in English, Polish, Russian.
Roundtables with the Perth USAsia Centre
This roundtable discussion is by invitation only to the Perth USAsia Centre network of senior leaders and industry experts.
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