Lithuania is a small country, so our contribution would not be that large. We are not afraid of our responsibility. We receive 25 percent of our national budget from the European Union. We understand the value of solidarity.

The precondition of success and entry to the top politics is primarily one's will - that is, making one's own decisions, because it means having to leave your home or move your family, quit social networking and build new contacts, [since] central governments are seated in capitals.

I don't subscribe to that school of thought that leadership can be altogether defined by gender.

As a woman, I think my style defines my leadership in that it's a gentler, more compassionate approach. Rather than tell people what's good for them, I consult, I listen and I compromise where it's in the best interest of the citizens.

I am a person of action. If I see I can bring a positive change, I will go for it, never mind that something might be hard to achieve.

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.

If we take into account that women have had the right to vote only for some 100 years - in some countries even less - and that we have already won seats in governments or presidential offices, I understand that men look at this rise with some anxiety.