Security in Europe: a view from the Latvian Foreign Minister

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February has shaken the European and global security order. In this address, Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkēvičs – one of the longest serving foreign ministers in the European Union - will speak to the international consequences of Russia’s invasion, challenges to international rules based order, energy security, and the need to support Ukraine. He will also talk about the increasing assertiveness of authoritarian regimes and the need for solidarity to uphold the values of democracy, human rights, the rule of law and a rules based international order.

Edgars Rinkēvičs has served as the Foreign Minister of Latvia since 2011. Before his current role, he was Head of the Chancery of the President of Latvia. Before that, he served as State Secretary at the Ministry of Defence. Minister Rinkēvičs served as Deputy Head in Latvia’s delegation for negotiations on accession to NATO, and then as Head of the NATO Summit Latvia Task Force. He holds Masters degrees from the University of Latvia and from the US National Defence University. He speaks Latvian, English, Russian, and French.

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