:''See Stasys Lozoraitis Jr. for an article about a son of Stasys Lozoraitis.'' Stasys Lozoraitis (born: September 5, 1898 - December 24, 1983) was a prominent

Lithuania Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...

n diplomat and politician who served as the

Foreign Minister of Lithuania The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublikos užsienio reikalų ministerija) is a governmental body of the Lithuania, Republic of Lithuania that shapes the national policy, and organises, coordinates, and ...

from 1934 until 1938. After Lithuania lost its independence in June 1940, Lozoraitis headed the

Lithuanian diplomatic service The Diplomatic Service of the Republic of Lithuania is the part of the governmental service tasked with enforcing the foreign policy set by the President, the Parliament, and the Government of the Republic of Lithuania. The head of the service is t ...

from 1940 to his death in 1983. Most western countries did not recognize the Soviet occupation and continued to recognize legations and envoys of independent Lithuania thus maintaining the legal continuity of Lithuania. Lozoraitis was a son of Motiejus Lozoraitis, a lawyer, activist of the

Lithuanian National Revival The Lithuanian National Revival, alternatively the Lithuanian National Awakening or Lithuanian nationalism ( lt, Lietuvių tautinis atgimimas), was a period of the history of Lithuania in the 19th century at the time when a major part of Lithuanian ...

, and contributor to ''

Varpas ''Varpas'' (literally: ''The Bell'') was a monthly Lithuanian-language newspaper published during the Lithuanian press ban from January 1889 to December 1905. Because its publication was illegal in Lithuania, then part of the Russian Empire, it wa ...

''. In 1923 he was assigned to the Lithuanian legation in Berlin. While in Germany, Lozoraitis studied international law at the

University of Berlin Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (german: Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, abbreviated HU Berlin) is a German public research university in the central borough of Mitte in Berlin. It was established by Frederick William III on the initiative o ...

. In 1929, he was transferred to Rome, where he became ''

chargé d'affaires A ''chargé d'affaires'' (), plural ''chargés d'affaires'', often shortened to ''chargé'' (French) and sometimes in colloquial English to ''charge-D'', is a diplomat who serves as an embassy's chief of mission in the absence of the ambassador ...

'' in 1931. In 1932, he returned to Lithuania and worked at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, becoming the Minister in June 1934. He worked to establish the

Baltic Entente The Baltic Entente was based on Treaty of Good-Understanding and Co-operation signed between Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia on September 12, 1934 in Geneva. The main objective of the agreement was joint action in foreign policy. It also included c ...

and to normalize relations with Poland, with which there were no diplomatic relations since

Żeligowski's Mutiny Żeligowski's Mutiny ( pl, bunt Żeligowskiego, also ''żeligiada'', lt, Želigovskio maištas) was a Polish false flag operation led by General Lucjan Żeligowski in October 1920, which resulted in the creation of the Republic of Central Lithuan ...

in 1920. Lozoraitis resigned after Poland presented an ultimatum in 1938 to resume diplomatic relations. In February 1939, Lozoraitis was appointed as

minister plenipotentiary An envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary, usually known as a minister, was a diplomatic head of mission who was ranked below ambassador. A diplomatic mission headed by an envoy was known as a legation rather than an embassy. Under th ...

to Italy. After the Lithuania was occupied by the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

in June 1940, Lozoraitis became the leader of all Lithuanian diplomatic service that remained abroad. As the highest ''

de jure In law and government, ''de jure'' ( ; , "by law") describes practices that are legally recognized, regardless of whether the practice exists in reality. In contrast, ("in fact") describes situations that exist in reality, even if not legally ...

'' official of independent Lithuania, he represented Lithuania, advocated for non-recognition of the Soviet occupation, and popularized the Lithuanian cause. Lozoraitis continued to live in Rome and head the diplomatic service until his death on December 24, 1983. Upon his death, he was succeeded by Stasys Bačkis.

References

External links

*
Collection of documents related to Lozoraitis' diplomatic service
1898 births 1983 deaths Lithuanian diplomats Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania World War II political leaders Baltic diplomatic missions Burials at Petrašiūnai Cemetery {{Lithuania-politician-stub