Riga Latvia has a new president. Former Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics took office on Saturday as head of state of the Baltic EU and NATO country in north-eastern Europe. The 49-year-old experienced foreign politician took his oath at a special session of Parliament in Riga.
In his speech, Rinkevics promised to work for a strong, modern, just and secure Latvia. In terms of foreign and security policy, the course of the Baltic Sea state bordering Russia and Belarus will remain unchanged. This includes standing up for a strong EU and NATO and supporting Ukraine, said the new Latvian President.
“Russia’s war and genocide in Ukraine have created a new, harsh reality. The world, Europe and our region are under threat from imperial Russia and the Lukashenko regime,” Rinkevics said. “Our country’s foreign policy has not and will not have time to make mistakes. We must continue to act quickly, decisively and wisely.”
Rinkevics was elected by the Saeima parliament at the end of May as the seventh president since Latvia regained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. He replaces Egils Levits (68), who is foregoing a second four-year term. In Latvia, the head of state has primarily representative tasks.
Rinkevics had previously been Latvia’s foreign minister since 2011 – longer than anyone before him. Away from the political arena, he made headlines in 2014 when he became the first leading politician in Latvia and all of Eastern Europe to make his homosexuality public. His successor as Foreign Minister has not yet been determined – Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins will take on the task for the time being.
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