Baltic | Fireside Chat: Ambassador of Lithuania to the United States and Consul General of Lithuania in New York

Ambassador Audra Plepytė assumed the duties of Ambassador of Lithuania to the U.S. in May 2021. Prior to her appointment, she was Permanent Representative of Lithuania to the United Nations from 2017 to 2021. Ambassador Plepytė served as Director of the European Union Department at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs from 2014 to 2017. She was Lithuania’s Ambassador to Spain and the World Tourism Organization between 2010 and 2014, and the Director of the Ministry’s Personnel Department from 2009 to 2010.
Her other assignments within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs included leading the International Missions and Conflict Prevention Division (2008-2009), serving as Deputy Representative to the Political and Security Committee within Lithuania’s Permanent Representation to the European Union in Brussels (2004-2008), and heading the Human Rights and Non-Governmental Organizations Division (2003-2004).
Her service also included postings as Deputy Permanent Representative and Counsellor at the Permanent Mission of Lithuania to the United Nations (1999-2002), Counsellor at Lithuania’s Embassy to the United States (1999), Head of the Foreign Ministry’s Northern European Division (1998-1999) and Advisor to the CBSS Commissioner for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (1997-1998).
Ambassador Plepytė has BA and MA in Philosophy at Vilnius University. She also has a diploma from the Institute of International Relations at Vilnius University, as well as a certificate of Diplomatic studies at Oxford University in UK.

Dovydas Špokauskas has been appointed as Consul General of the Republic of Lithuania in New York since October 1st, 2024.
Before this appointment Mr. Špokauskas served as the Chief of Staff of the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
From 2022 Mr. Špokauskas worked as the Advisor to the Political Director at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania, where he coordinated implementation of key foreign policy priorities as well as preparations for ministerial visits and meetings.
In 2019-2022 Mr. Špokauskas was the Deputy Chief of Mission at the Embassy of Lithuania in Washington D.C., including a year as Chargé d’Affaires.
Prior to this posting to he served as the Foreign Policy Adviser to the President of Lithuania Dalia Grybauskaitė advising her on the United Nations and the European Union issues.
From 2011 to 2015 he worked at Lithuania’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York, which included the country’s first ever term at the UN Security Council.
He started his diplomatic career in 2005 at the Security Policy Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania.
D. Špokauskas holds a Master’s degree on Security Studies from Georgetown University in Washington D.C. and a Master of Laws on International and EU law from Vilnius University. He was an intern at the UN High Commissioner for Refugees Office, the European Court of Justice and the Council of Europe.
He speaks Lithuanian as mother tongue, as well as English and French.