The Ministry of Foreign Affairs ( lv, Latvijas Republikas Ārlietu ministrija) is responsible for maintaining the
Republic of Latvia's external relations and the management of its
international diplomatic missions. The actual Minister of Foreign Affairs is
Edgars Rinkēvičs
Edgars Rinkēvičs (born 21 September 1973 in Jūrmala) is a Latvian public official and politician, currently serving as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Latvia, a role he has held since 2011. Before beginning in this role, he served as head o ...
, a member of the
Unity Party and former State Secretary within Latvia's
Ministry of Defence
{{unsourced, date=February 2021
A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in states ...
.
Diplomacy
The ministry directs Latvia's affairs with foreign entities, including bilateral relations with individual nations and its representation in international organizations, including the
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...
,
European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...
,
Council of Europe
The Council of Europe (CoE; french: Conseil de l'Europe, ) is an international organisation founded in the wake of World War II to uphold European Convention on Human Rights, human rights, democracy and the Law in Europe, rule of law in Europe. ...
,
NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...
, the
Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe
The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) is the world's largest regional security-oriented intergovernmental organization with observer status at the United Nations. Its mandate includes issues such as arms control, prom ...
, the
International Monetary Fund
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is a major financial agency of the United Nations, and an international financial institution, headquartered in Washington, D.C., consisting of 190 countries. Its stated mission is "working to foster globa ...
, the
World Trade Organization
The World Trade Organization (WTO) is an intergovernmental organization that regulates and facilitates international trade. With effective cooperation
in the United Nations System, governments use the organization to establish, revise, and e ...
, and its participation in the
Schengen Area
The Schengen Area ( , ) is an area comprising 27 European countries that have officially abolished all passport and all other types of border control at their mutual borders. Being an element within the wider area of freedom, security and j ...
. It oversees
visas
Visa most commonly refers to:
*Visa Inc., a US multinational financial and payment cards company
** Visa Debit card issued by the above company
** Visa Electron, a debit card
** Visa Plus, an interbank network
*Travel visa, a document that allows ...
, cooperation with
expatriates
An expatriate (often shortened to expat) is a person who resides outside their native country. In common usage, the term often refers to educated professionals, skilled workers, or artists taking positions outside their home country, either ...
, international human rights policy, transatlantic defense policy and various global trade concerns. The ministry also contributes to Latvia's international trade and economic development, in collaboration with the
Ministry of Economics (Latvia)
The Ministry of Economics of the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republikas Ekonomikas ministrija) is the leading state administrative institution responsible for Economy of Latvia, economic policy in Latvia. The ministry also represents the eco ...
and the
Investment and Development Agency of Latvia
Established in 1993, The Investment and Development Agency of Latvia, or LIAA in short, acts under the Ministry of Ministry of Economics of the Republic of Latvia.
Kaspars Rožkalns has served as the director of the LIAA since 2020.
Accordi ...
.
Inspector General
The Inspector General for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Latvia is appointed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs. The current Inspector General for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Latvia is Normans Penke.
List of Ministers
*
Jānis Jurkāns
Jānis Jurkāns (born 31 August 1946 in Riga, Latvian SSR) is a Latvian politician, one of the leaders of the Latvian Popular Front, who served as foreign minister (1990–1992).
Biography
Jānis Jurkāns was born in 1946 into a family with Pol ...
(22 May 1990 - 10 November 1992)
*
Georgs Andrejevs
Georgs Andrejevs (30 October 1932 – 16 July 2022)[Valdis Birkavs
Valdis Birkavs (born July 28, 1942) is a Latvian politician. He was born in Riga. Birkavs attended the University of Latvia, where he studied philosophy, sociology, law, psychology and mathematical logic. He was first elected to the Latvian pa ...](_blank)
(19 September 1994 - 16 July 1999)
*
Indulis Bērziņš
Indulis Bērziņš (born 4 December 1957) is a Latvian historian and diplomat, former minister for foreign affairs of the Republic of Latvia.
Biography
He was born in the town Madona.
In 1981, Indulis Bērziņš graduated with a degree in hi ...
(16 July 1999 - 7 November 2002)
*
Sandra Kalniete
Sandra Kalniete (born 22 December 1952) is a politics of Latvia, Latvian politician, author, diplomat and independence movement leader. She served as Foreign Minister of Latvia 2002–2004 and as European Commissioner for Agriculture & Rural Devel ...
(7 November 2002 – 9 March 2004)
*
Rihards Pīks
Rihards Pīks (born December 31, 1941 in Riga) is a Latvian politician and Member of the European Parliament for the People's Party; part of the European People's Party
The European People's Party (EPP) is a European political party with ...
(9 March 2004 – 19 July 2004)
*
Artis Pabriks
Artis Pabriks (born 22 March 1966) is a Latvian politician. Since January 2019 he has been the Minister for Defence and Deputy Prime Minister of Latvia. From 2014 to 2018, he was a Member of the European Parliament.
Early life and career
After co ...
(21 July 2004 – 28 October 2007)
*
Māris Riekstiņš
Māris Riekstiņš (born 8 April 1963 in Riga, Soviet Union) is a Latvian politician and diplomat and a former Foreign Minister of Latvia (November 2007 – April 2010). He is the current Ambassador of Latvia to the Russian Federation.
Biogra ...
(8 November 2007 – 28 April 2010)
*
Aivis Ronis
Aivis Ronis (born 20 May 1968) is a Latvian people, Latvian diplomat and politician and was Minister for Foreign Affairs of Latvia from 29 April 2010 to 3 November 2010, from 2011 to 2013 he was Minister for Transport of Latvia. From June 2000 to ...
(29 April 2010 – 3 November 2010)
*
Ģirts Valdis Kristovskis
Ģirts Valdis Kristovskis (born 19 February 1962, in Ventspils) is a Latvian politician. He is a member of the centre-right Unity party.
Kristovskis served in several previous Latvian governments as the Minister for the Interior from 3 August 19 ...
(3 November 2010 - 25 October 2011)
*
Edgars Rinkēvičs
Edgars Rinkēvičs (born 21 September 1973 in Jūrmala) is a Latvian public official and politician, currently serving as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Latvia, a role he has held since 2011. Before beginning in this role, he served as head o ...
(25 October 2011 – Present)
See also
*
Foreign relations of Latvia
Foreign relations of Latvia are the primary responsibility of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Today's Republic of Latvia regards itself as a continuation of the 1918–1940 republic. After the declaration on the restoration of its full independ ...
*
List of diplomatic missions of Latvia
This is a list of diplomatic missions of Latvia, excluding honorary consulates. Latvia has a modest network of embassies and consulates around the world. The Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs oversees the maintenance of these missions.
Latvia ...
References
External links
Official Ministry website
{{Authority control
Latvia
Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republika, links=no, ltg, Latvejas Republika, links=no, liv, Leţmō Vabāmō, links=no), is a country in the Baltic region of ...
Government of Latvia