VILNIUS — Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaitė agreed Friday morning to appoint the government’s nomination for a new foreign minister, Audronius Ažubalis.

Ažubalis, a member of the Lithuanian parliament since 1996 and the chair of the Seimas Foreign Affairs Committee was nominated by the leading party of the ruling coalition, the Homeland Union/Christian Democrats on Monday after the resignation of Vygaudas Ušackas last week following the president’s declaration that she had lost confidence in his capacity as minister.

The president is adamant that Ušackas’ replacement follow her decisions on the country’s foreign policy more closely.

“The president is convinced that the state’s foreign policy is particularly important and cannot become the hostage of foreign minister’s self-promotion,” Linas Balsys, a spokesman for the president told journalists last week.