Edgars Rinkēvičs

Edgars Rinkēvičs
Rinkēvičs in 2023
11th President of Latvia
Incumbent
Assumed office
8 July 2023
Prime MinisterKrišjānis Kariņš
Evika Siliņa
Preceded byEgils Levits
Minister of Foreign Affairs
In office
25 October 2011 – 8 July 2023
Prime MinisterValdis Dombrovskis
Laimdota Straujuma
Māris Kučinskis
Krišjānis Kariņš
Preceded byĢirts Valdis Kristovskis
Succeeded byKrišjānis Kariņš
President of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe
In office
17 May 2023 – 8 July 2023
Preceded byÞórdís Kolbrún R. Gylfadóttir
Succeeded byKrišjānis Kariņš
Personal details
Born (1973-09-21) 21 September 1973
Jūrmala, Latvian SSR, Soviet Union
PartyIndependent (2023–present)
Other political
affiliations		Latvian Way (1998–2004)
Reform Party (2012–2014)
Unity (2014–2023)
Alma materUniversity of Latvia
Dwight D. Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource Strategy

Edgars Rinkēvičs (born 21 September 1973) is a Latvian public official and politician serving as the 11th and current president of Latvia since July 2023. He previously served as the minister of foreign affairs of Latvia from 2011 to 2023, and head of the Chancery of the President of Latvia as state secretary of the Ministry of Defence, as well as a deputy of the Saeima. Upon taking office as president, Rinkēvičs became the first openly gay head of state in a European Union country.[1]

Prior to becoming president, Rinkēvičs had represented Latvian Way, Reform Party, and the Unity party since May 2014. He left Unity after being elected president as it is customarily expected in Latvia for presidents to maintain political neutrality.

Early life and education

Rinkēvičs was born in Jūrmala, where he completed high school in 1991.[2] Upon graduating from high school, he started a bachelor's degree at the University of Latvia's Faculty of History and Philosophy, which he acquired in 1995. During the same time, in 1994 and 1995 he studied Political Science and International Relations at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands, for which he received a certificate in 1995.[3] In 1997, he obtained his master's degree in political science, followed by a second master's degree from the Dwight D. Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource Strategy,[a] obtained in 2000.[2][4]

Career

In 1993 and 1994, Rinkēvičs worked as a journalist reporting on foreign policy and international relations at Latvian Radio, while still studying.[6] In 1995, he took the job as senior referent in the Policy Department of the Ministry of Defence, a role he held until March 1996, when he became acting leader of the Policy Department, a role he occupied until September the same year, when he was made acting Deputy Secretary of State for Defence.[7] In May 1997, he became acting Secretary of State for Defence, before becoming the main Secretary of State for Defence in August 1997, a role he possessed until October 2008.[7]

Between 1998 and 2004, Rinkēvičs was a member of the Latvian Way party.[7] In February 1998, he became involved in discussion on the US-Baltic Partnership Charter, and from 2002 to 2003 was a member of the Latvian delegation negotiating accession to NATO as Latvia's Deputy Head of Delegation. In 2008, he was appointed as Head of the Chancery of the President of Latvia, a role he held until July 2011.[7] In October of the same year, Rinkēvičs joined Valdis Dombrovskis' third cabinet as Minister of Foreign Affairs. Initially an independent, he joined the Zatlers' Reform Party in January 2012.[8] In May 2014, Rinkēvičs joined the Unity party.[9]

Following the resignation of the Dombrovskis cabinet in 2014, he continued his ministerial roles in Laimdota Straujuma's first cabinet. In 2014 he stood in the parliamentary elections and was elected to parliament before again being confirmed to serve as Minister of Foreign Affairs, this time in Straujuma's second cabinet.[6] He served as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2016 to 2019 in the Kučinskis cabinet and from 2019 to 2023 in the Kariņš cabinet.

In September 2020, Rinkēvičs said he welcomed the news about the establishment of full diplomatic relations between Israel and Bahrain.[10] He also expressed deep concern over the escalation of hostilities in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh and called on Armenia and Azerbaijan to immediately halt fighting and progress towards a peaceful resolution.[11]

President of Latvia (2023–present)

Rinkēvičs was elected president of Latvia on 31 May 2023.[12] He took office on 8 July 2023.[13]

On 20 November 2023, he visited Israel to express solidarity with the country during the Gaza war.[14]

On 15 December 2023, Rinkēvičs met with Canadian Minister of Defence Bill Blair in the Riga Castle to discuss bilateral cooperation between the two countries, especially in the areas of defence and security policy.[15]

On August 5, 2025, Rinkevičs welcomed Israeli president Isaac Herzog on his state visit to Latvia and stated that Latvia is not considering recognizing Palestine.[16] On August 28, Rinkēvičs met with Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of Palestine Varsen Aghabekian.[17]

After the Saeima passed a bill on October 30 for Latvia to withdraw from the Istanbul Convention, Rinkēvičs pledged to assess the decision by "taking into account state and legal, rather than ideological or political considerations".[18] He subsequently requested a second review of the law by the Saeima, citing unresolved legal, procedural, and international concerns: namely, that the withdrawal lacked proper preparatory work, reflected insufficient cooperation between the legislature and executive, and that ratifying and then denouncing the Convention within a single Saeima term sends a contradictory message that could undermine Latvia's credibility and commitments to human rights within the European Union and Council of Europe.[19]

Personal life

On 6 November 2014, he publicly announced on his Twitter profile that he is gay,[20][21] making him the first lawmaker in Latvia to announce his homosexuality. Upon election as the president of Latvia in 2023, Rinkēvičs became the first openly gay head of state in an EU country and the first ever openly gay president of any state.[b][22][1] In addition to Latvian, he is fluent in English, Russian, and French.

In May 2023, Rinkēvičs stated that he is "single", has no romantic partner, and refused to further elaborate on his private life.[23]

Views

On LGBTQ+ issues

Rinkēvičs has said that despite some progress, LGBT people still face serious rights violations in many countries, and expressed support for global efforts to decriminalize LGBT, stressing that it is about universal human rights, not imposing Western values. Citing cases like Chechnya, he warned of worsening persecution and torture of LGBT people and called on the international community to use all available diplomatic and bilateral tools to strengthen civil society, protect human rights, and eliminate all forms of discrimination.[24] In an interview with Latvian news portal Delfi, Latvian drag queen and LGBTQ+ activist Rojs Rodžers stated that he wanted that Rinkēvičs be "a little braver" on LGBTQ+ rights issues and that he was "more on side being disappointed" that Rinkēvičs has not participated in Pride events.[25]

In January 2025, Rinkēvičs stated in interview with Channel 4 News that in his opinion the discussions around trans rights, at some point, "went probably too far to one extreme" and expressed hope that "it’s not going to go too far to the other extreme".[26]

Honours

National

Foreign

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Sources ([2][3][4]) state Rinkēvičs studied at the Industrial College of the Armed Forces of the US National Defence University as this was the name of the Dwight D. Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource Strategy at that time. The name was changed to its current form in 2012.[5]
  2. ^ Rinkēvičs is the first openly LGBT head of state to hold the title of president. Paolo Rondelli, who held the post of Captain Regent of San Marino in 2022, was the first openly LGBT head of state of any country.

References

  1. ^ a b "EU's First Openly Gay Head of State Elected by Latvian Assembly". Bloomberg.com. 31 May 2023. Retrieved 31 May 2023.
  2. ^ a b c Barkāns, Elmārs (13 October 2008). "Pilī jaunas asinis – Edgars Rinkēvičs" (in Latvian). TV NET. Retrieved 2 March 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  3. ^ a b "Par uzticības izteikšanu Ministru kabinetam" (PDF) (in Latvian). Saeima. 24 October 2011. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  4. ^ a b "Minister for Foreign Affairs – Edgars Rinkēvičs". Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Latvia. Archived from the original on 28 February 2021. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  5. ^ Mission Archived 1 May 2023 at the Wayback Machine, The Eisenhower School, National Defense University, United States Department of Defense, Fort McNair, Washington, District of Columbia, accessed 6 February 2015.
  6. ^ a b Kroet, Cynthia (18 December 2014). "Edgars Rinkēvičs: Latvia's foreign minister". POLITICO Europe. Retrieved 18 December 2014.
  7. ^ a b c d "Ārlietu ministra amata kandidāta Edgara Rinkēviča biogrāfija". LETA (in Latvian). TV NET. 24 October 2011.
  8. ^ "Ārlietu ministrs Rinkēvičs iestājas ZRP" (in Latvian). Delfi. 30 January 2012. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  9. ^ "Astoņi RP politiķi iestājas "Vienotībā" (papild.)" (in Latvian). ir. 19 May 2014. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  10. ^ Rinkēvičs, Edgars [@edgarsrinkevics] (12 September 2020). "I welcome the news about the establishment of full diplomatic relations between #Israel and #Bahrain, it will foster peace and stability in the region. I applaud the role of the United States for efforts to facilitate the normalisation of Israel-Bahrain relations" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  11. ^ "Lithuanian, Latvian FMs concerned over Armenia's large-scale provocation against Azerbaijan". Trend News Agency. 27 September 2020. Archived from the original on 29 September 2020.
  12. ^ "Edgars Rinkevics elected president of Latvia". Reuters. 31 May 2023. Retrieved 31 May 2023.
  13. ^ "President Edgars Rinkēvičs takes oath of office". Public Broadcasting of Latvia. 8 July 2023. Retrieved 8 July 2023.
  14. ^ "President Rinkēvičs visits Israel and West Bank". LSM.lv. 20 November 2023.
  15. ^ "President of Latvia: we will ensure full host nation support for increase of Canadian Armed Forces in Latvia". Delfi EN (in Lithuanian). Retrieved 16 December 2023.
  16. ^ "Rinkēvičs pēc tikšanās ar Izraēlas prezidentu: Latvija šobrīd neplāno atzīt Palestīnas valsti" [Rinkēvičs after meeting with Israeli President: Latvia currently does not plan to recognize the state of Palestine]. www.lsm.lv (in Latvian). Retrieved 27 October 2025.
  17. ^ "Valsts prezidents ar Palestīnas ārlietu un diasporas lietu ministri pārrunā drošības un humāno situāciju Tuvajos Austrumos" [The President of Latvia and the Palestinian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora Affairs discuss the security and humanitarian situation in the Middle East]. www.president.lv (in Latvian). Office of the President of Latvia. Retrieved 27 October 2025.
  18. ^ "Latvian President says he'll think about Istanbul Convention exit law". Public Broadcasting of Latvia. 31 October 2025. Retrieved 9 November 2025.
  19. ^ "President Rinkēvičs asks Saeima to think again on Istanbul Convention exit". Public Broadcasting of Latvia. 3 November 2025. Retrieved 9 November 2025.
  20. ^ "Foreign Minister 'Proud to be gay'". Public Broadcasting of Latvia. 6 November 2014. Retrieved 6 November 2014.
  21. ^ "Latvia's foreign minister comes out as gay". The Guardian. Agence France-Presse. 7 November 2014. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 6 April 2019.
  22. ^ Potts, Andrew (7 November 2014). "Latvia's Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics has come out as gay on Twitter". Gay Star News. Archived from the original on 8 November 2014. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
  23. ^ "Edgars Rinkēvičs ir no attiecībām brīva vīrieša statusā". Delfi (in Latvian). 26 May 2023. Retrieved 27 October 2025.
  24. ^ "Foreign Minister Rinkēvičs: More active engagement of the international community is required to decriminalise LGBT and to end its discrimination worldwide". Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Latvia. 15 February 2020. Retrieved 27 October 2025.
  25. ^ Lastovska, Alina (9 October 2025). ""Gribētu, lai viņš ir drosmīgāks" – Rojs Rodžers par Valsts prezidenta nepiedalīšanos praidā". Delfi (in Latvian). Retrieved 27 October 2025.
  26. ^ "World's first openly-gay president on Trump's LGBTQ stance". Channel 4 News. 22 January 2025. Retrieved 27 October 2025. I think that there is a big difference here, and that is where I have also had the discussion back home about how far do you respect transgender people's rights. I do see that probably at some point this discussion went probably too far to one extreme. Now, I do hope it's not going to go too far to the other extreme.
  27. ^ "10.03.2026. Valsts prezidents Edgars Rinkēvičs Rīgas pilī uzņem Čehijas prezidentu Petru Pavelu un dzīvesbiedri Evu Pavlovu". Valsts prezidents. 10 March 2026. Retrieved 15 March 2026.
  28. ^ https://www.kongehuset.dk/nyheder/ordensudveksling-ved-statsbesoeg-til-letland
  29. ^ "President of the Republic of Estonia". president.ee. Retrieved 8 July 2023.
  30. ^ "President of the Republic of Estonia". president.ee. Retrieved 8 July 2023.
  31. ^ "President of the Republic of Estonia". president.ee. Retrieved 8 July 2023.
  32. ^ "Suomen Valkoisen Ruusun ritarikunnan suurristin ketjuineen saajat". Ritarikunnat (in Finnish). 9 October 2020. Retrieved 24 September 2025.
  33. ^ President
  34. ^ Quirinale website
  35. ^ Quirinale website
  36. ^ President
  37. ^ "05.02.2024. Valsts vizīte Maltas Republikā". 5 February 2024.
  38. ^ "List of recipients of Norwegian honours". Royal Court of Norway. Retrieved 8 July 2023.
  39. ^ "Nadanie orderów". prawo.pl (in Polish). 2025. Retrieved 24 September 2025.
  40. ^ "Rinkevics receives Ukrainian award". 29 September 2022. Retrieved 8 July 2023.
  41. ^ Nato
  42. ^ "Medallists". www.baltasam.org. Retrieved 15 March 2026.
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