2024-04-25 01:58:54
A state funeral was held for G. Kirkil, who was called a political wolf who could unite even the fiercest competitors. His remains were laid to rest in Vilnius Antakalnis cemetery.
At the funeral ceremony, priest Ričardas Doveika escorted the former prime minister on his last journey. The urn with the remains of the deceased was taken out of the funeral home at 12 o’clock. Next to the urn is the tricolor of Lithuania.
The funeral ceremony was opened by the signatory of the Act of Independence of Lithuania, politician Vytenis Povilas Andriukaitis, who quoted the poet Justinas Marcinkevičius.
“Just. Marcinkevičius, writing about young people born in the 1930s in the poem “1946-ieji”, emphasized the drama of their time. “Time crossed our hearts and class like a blackboard in half.” The same thing happened to Gediminas and me,” VPAndriukaitis began his speech.
He emphasized the flexibility and cunning of his former longtime comrade G. Kirkil, his successful work in the Ministry of National Defense and his ability to be the prime minister of the minority Government of the Seimas.
“Most importantly, he knew how to relax – either fishing or playing outdoor tennis. Just that pipe… Although it was Gedimin’s distinguishing mark, unfortunately, and I have no doubt about that as a doctor, it became the reason for his sudden death. The reason for the sudden, untimely, painful loss of the democratic political culture of Lithuania.
It would have been better for Gediminas to have worn a bow tie, like his colleague from the Gallery of Ministers of National Defense – Juozas Olekas. “I really could have played a game of outdoor tennis with either Juoz or Justus Vincas,” said VPAndriukaitis.
Parliamentarian Antanas Vinkus also spoke at the grave. He said that G. Kirkil earned the respect of all the people of the country with his modesty: “Dear brother, we could not change the fate, only today we came to say goodbye to you for the last time.”
The parliamentarian emphasized that he was obliged to express his condolences to the family of G. Kirkilos, his wife Liuda, on behalf of the head of the Seimas, Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen.
“Dear Liuda, I know he loved you, you loved him, your family was ideal. Huge, double, triple pain in the dark today… Please accept the condolences of the Speaker of the Seimas. Condolences to his children, his relatives and relatives. May this land of Antakalnis be easy for you. Goodbye, brother”, said A. Vinkus.
V. Čmilytė-Nielsen and V. Adamkus arrived
Speaker of the Seimas V. Čmilytė-Nielsen came to say goodbye to G. Kirkil on Wednesday. She said that she always liked to chat with the long-time politician, relying on his opinion and advice.
“I remember him as a very benevolent, wise, calm person, a very insightful politician. A politician with whom it was always good to discuss and talk, and who genuinely cared about state affairs and the future. In fact, he will be greatly missed, because he was one of the few people in politics that you could rely on, regardless of whether you were his colleague or opponent,” said V. Čmilytė-Nielsen.
The last time the head of the parliament saw G. Kirkil was on Friday, on the eve of his death, when the ex-prime minister attended a conference in the Seimas. “That’s why this news really shocked me,” admitted V. Čmilytė-Nielsen.
Valdas Adamkus, the outgoing president of Lithuania, also came to say “goodbye” to G. Kirkil. According to him, G. Kirkilas will go down in the history of Lithuania as a person who primarily worked for Lithuania and not for party interests.
“Because with his actions, he valued the state, the person first, and not some private organization to which he belonged. With his works, it seems to me that he really, very clearly enters into the process of restoring the state. We can be proud of his contribution and example for future generations,” said V. Adamkus.
He did not spare nice words
Since Tuesday, a large group of politicians flocked to say goodbye to G. Kirkil, who died unexpectedly. Both comrades and representatives of opposite political camps did not spare nice words for the deceased, they called him a restrained, intelligent person with a great sense of humor.
“Gedimin had a great sense of humor. I appreciate all this, that healthy irony and the ability to make fun of yourself, sometimes perhaps ironize and generally look at life as a set of opportunities, not problems”, said Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė.
President Gitanas Nausėda emphasized that G. Kirkilas was a politician in the best sense of the word.
“G. Kirkilas was a person who stood at the helm of the state and at a time when it was not easy, when the state was facing a number of challenges, it was necessary to participate in the adoption of important strategic decisions. But even after retiring from active politics, he did not remain indifferent to our public life.
I constantly followed his articles on different topics about our foreign policy, he was particularly interested in this topic, our security policy. You know, he was always characterized by a certain solidity, not getting distracted by some details, looking for some cheap effects”, said G. Nausėda.
His long-time friend and former political comrade Česlovas Juršėnas, who came to say goodbye to G. Kirkil, recalled that he met G. Kirkil in the last years of the Soviet Union, and later worked together in the Seimas for many years.
“He was truly a talented politician, he delved into what was very important, into all matters, he was interested and could speak, write, participate in shows, and meet with people. He was a pleasure to work with, although as a former party chairman I must say that he sometimes had to be challenged. But that’s life, that’s politics,” Č. Juršėnas shared his memories.
Another former associate of G. Kirkilos, his former advisor and Minister of Justice Juozas Bernatornis, was worried when talking about the deceased.
“We worked together a lot, we worked in the Brazauska team from the beginning of independence, so there are many memories of those memories. I just don’t know what to say. I lost one of my best friends”, J. Bernatonis did not hide his sadness.
G. Kirkilo’s body was found on Saturday morning. The police stated that his relatives informed the doctors and the police about the death of the long-time politician.
We remind you that in 2006-2008, the politician held the position of Prime Minister, served as a member of the Seimas for seven terms – from 1992 to 2020, and was the Minister of National Defense of Lithuania in 2004-2006.
G. Kirkilas was born in 1951. In Vilnius.
2024-04-25 01:58:54