Ronis appointed foreign minister

  • 2010-04-29
  • Oskars Magone

The new foreign minister has a wealth of experience in dimplomacy (photo courtesy of NATO).

RIGA -- Professional dimplomat Aivars Ronis has been appointed Latvia's new foreign minister after receiving overwhelming support in Parliament.

A total of 90 deputies voted in favour of Aivis Ronis, one MP abstained from a vote. It is rare for a ministerial candidate to receive such overwhelming support from Parliament.

Ronis will replace former Foreign Minister Maris Riekstins, who resigned when the People's Party, of which he is a member, pulled out of the ruling coalition in protest of economic policy.

"On 29 April, the Saeima (Parliament) of the Republic of Latvia, by an overwhelming majority of votes, approved a diplomat of long standing, former Ambassador of Latvia to the United States of America and NATO, Aivis Ronis, as foreign minister," the foreign ministry said in a press release. 

Ronis, 41, is a Kuldiga native with a degree in Philosophy from the University of Latvia. He began working for the foreign ministry in 1991, where he remained until taking a position as Chairman of the Board of the Latvian-American Financial Forum.

Before taking that position he served as Latvian ambassador to NATO.