My climb to political success was no elevator ride, and it has not always been pretty, but I persevered as one of a handful of women in the male-dominated world of politics.

The world has become more diversified, with women becoming a real power of change.

If you need to pursue your interests, do not expect anyone else to do it for you.

If there were more women heads of state in the world, the world would be more peaceful and better focused on the improvement of the overall quality of life and welfare.

I ran for president because I wanted to help Lithuania and its people during a difficult time. My country was on the very edge of an economic crisis, and people were disappointed by the economic situation and the political elite. We all needed change and motivation to consolidate our efforts in order to overcome the difficulties.

For a small open economy that trades mostly with the euro zone it makes absolute sense to be part of the currency union. Our currency has already pegged to the euro since 2002. We don't have an independent monetary policy. We are regulated by the European Central Bank in Frankfurt, but we are not able to reap all the profits. Our businesses want to save the transaction costs.

Hard work, courage and commitment - these are the key elements for success.