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 Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Latvia), Minister of Foreign Affairs of Latvia, a role he has held since 2011. Before begin ...

, 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 state ...

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 security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoni ...

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are located primarily in Europe, Europe. The union has a total area of ...

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 human rights, democracy and the rule of law in Europe. Founded in 1949, it has 46 member states, with a p ...

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 N ...

, 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, pro ...

, 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 glo ...

, 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 ...

, 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 ...

. 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 economic policy in Latvia. The ministry also represents the economic interests of ...

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 Po ...

(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 parl ...

(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 Latvian politician, author, diplomat and independence movement leader. She served as Foreign Minister of Latvia 2002–2004 and as European Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development and Fisherie ...

(7 November 2002 – 9 March 2004) * Rihards Pīks (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 ...

(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 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 September 200 ...

(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) *

(25 October 2011 – Present)

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

Diplomacy

Inspector General

List of Ministers

See also

References

External links