"Our society is not ready for such an action [legalizing same-sex partnership]," she told the Žinių Radijas news radio on Wednesday morning.

In her words, such decisions could be made after a new and more tolerant generation grows.

"I think that our dear seniors, who don’t understand these things, are worthy of respect, and I think that we should not irritate our society," Graužinienė, representing the Labour Party, said.

Her comments came in response to the European Court of Human Rights' Tuesday ruling that Italy violated the European Convention on Human Rights by not granting any legal recognition to same-sex couples.

Graužinienė believes court rulings "should not be forcefully applied in states which are not ready for them".

A group of Lithuanian Social Democratic and Liberal MPs have suggested legalizing same-sex partnerships, but the initiative is unlikely to receive parliamentary approval.