Blue Hill resident Anne Hall on Tuesday began the confirmation process to become the next U.S. ambassador to Lithuania.

Nominated in March by President Obama, Hall was introduced to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee by Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, who highlighted Hall’s expertise in the Baltic States, as well as her connections to Maine.

U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, introduces Anne Hall, right, of Blue Hill, on Tuesday on Capitol Hill as Hall began the nomination process to become U.S. ambassador to Lithuania. Courtesy Sen. Susan Collins' office

“I am impressed both by Anne’s extensive experience in the region and her clear-eyed view of the challenges facing this relatively small, but critically important, NATO ally,” Collins said. “I am certain that Anne would do an excellent job representing the United States in Lithuania, as she has done throughout her career in the Foreign Service.”

Collins said she met with Hall, a career member of the Foreign Service, this month to discuss Lithuania’s current challenges, including “Russian meddling in the Baltic States.”

Lithuania, an Eastern European country with nearly 2.9 million people, is bordered by Poland, Belarus, Latvia and the Russian-controlled Kaliningrad Oblast. It’s one of three countries receiving $100 million in U.S. funds to build defense capacity, according to the State Department.

“In Russia’s attempted annexation of Crimea and aggression in Ukraine, Lithuania sees a threat to its own hard-won independence,” Hall said, according to prepared remarks to the committee. “Lithuania has warmly welcomed U.S. and NATO reassurance measures, especially the presence of American troops on its soil.”

Hall, who grew up in Orono and received her undergraduate degree from the University of Maine, is currently the acting principal deputy assistant secretary in the Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs. She previously served as the director of Central European Affairs, managing relations with Austria, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Lichtenstein, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Switzerland.

Hall needs to receive a favorable recommendation from the committee before her nomination can be considered by the full Senate. No votes have been scheduled.

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