Girts Valdis Kristovskis
Encyclopedia
Ģirts Valdis Kristovskis (born 19 February 1962 in Ventspils
) is a Latvian politician and the current Foreign Minister of Latvia
in the Cabinet
of Valdis Dombrovskis
.
He served in several previous Latvian governments as the Minister for the Interior from August 3, 1993 to October 28, 1994), and the Minister of the Defense from November 26, 1998 to March 9, 2004. He was elected to the Saeima
in four subsequent elections since 1993, being a member of Latvian Way
party in 1993-1998 and a member of For Fatherland and Freedom/LNNK party in 1998-2008. From 2004 he was a Member of the European Parliament
for For Fatherland and Freedom/LNNK, but lost his mandate in the 2009 elections. Subsequently he was elected to the Riga
City Council where he was the leader of the opposition.
In 2008 he founded the center right Civic Union
party which became a founding member of the Unity
coalition which won the largest mandate the 2010 Saeima elections. On November 3, 2010 Kristovskis became the Foreign Minister
in the new Cabinet
. In November, a scandal erupted in Latvia conerning the minister's correspondence with a doctor, who had expressed views perceived as Russophobic
. Kristovskis survived the vote of non-confidence held on 9 November (36 deputies representing the opposition parties of the pro-Russian Harmony Center coalition and the right-wing For a Good Latvia voted for the proposal, with 51 deputies from the governing coalition voting against).
He is a signatory of the Prague Declaration on European Conscience and Communism
, and co-sponsored the European Parliament resolution of 2 April 2009 on European conscience and totalitarianism
.
Ventspils
Ventspils is a city in northwestern Latvia in the Courland historical region of Latvia, the sixth largest city in the country. As of 2006, Ventspils had a population of 43,806. Ventspils is situated on the Venta River and the Baltic Sea, and has an ice-free port...
) is a Latvian politician and the current Foreign Minister of Latvia
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
in the Cabinet
Government of Latvia
The Government of Latvia is the central government of the Republic of Latvia. The Constitution of Latvia outlines the nation as a parliamentary republic represented by a unicameral parliament and the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Latvia, which form the executive branch of the Government...
of Valdis Dombrovskis
Valdis Dombrovskis
Valdis Dombrovskis is the Prime Minister of Latvia. He previously served as Latvia's Minister of Finance and as a Member of the European Parliament for the New Era Party.-Education and science career:...
.
He served in several previous Latvian governments as the Minister for the Interior from August 3, 1993 to October 28, 1994), and the Minister of the Defense from November 26, 1998 to March 9, 2004. He was elected to the Saeima
Saeima
Saeima is the parliament of the Republic of Latvia. It is a unicameral parliament consisting of 100 members who are elected by proportional representation, with seats allocated to political parties which gain at least 5% of the popular vote. Elections are scheduled to be held once every four years,...
in four subsequent elections since 1993, being a member of Latvian Way
Latvian Way
Latvian Way was a centre-right liberal party in Latvia. It merged with Latvia's First Party to form the Latvia's First Party/Latvian Way in 2007.It described itself as "a liberal party defending people's freedom to shape their own lives"...
party in 1993-1998 and a member of For Fatherland and Freedom/LNNK party in 1998-2008. From 2004 he was a Member of the European Parliament
Member of the European Parliament
A Member of the European Parliament is a person who has been elected to the European Parliament. The name of MEPs differ in different languages, with terms such as europarliamentarian or eurodeputy being common in Romance language-speaking areas.When the European Parliament was first established,...
for For Fatherland and Freedom/LNNK, but lost his mandate in the 2009 elections. Subsequently he was elected to the Riga
Riga
Riga is the capital and largest city of Latvia. With 702,891 inhabitants Riga is the largest city of the Baltic states, one of the largest cities in Northern Europe and home to more than one third of Latvia's population. The city is an important seaport and a major industrial, commercial,...
City Council where he was the leader of the opposition.
In 2008 he founded the center right Civic Union
Civic Union
The term Civic Union designates many different political parties, both former and modern ones:* Civic Union , from Argentina* Civic Union , from Latvia* Civic Union , from Uruguay* The Civic Union Party, from Perú...
party which became a founding member of the Unity
Unity (Latvia)
Unity is a Latvian centre-right political party, founded as an electoral alliance of the New Era Party, the Civic Union and the Society for Other Politics on 6 March 2010...
coalition which won the largest mandate the 2010 Saeima elections. On November 3, 2010 Kristovskis became the Foreign Minister
Foreign minister
A Minister of Foreign Affairs, or foreign minister, is a cabinet minister who helps form the foreign policy of a sovereign state. The foreign minister is often regarded as the most senior ministerial position below that of the head of government . It is often granted to the deputy prime minister in...
in the new Cabinet
Government of Latvia
The Government of Latvia is the central government of the Republic of Latvia. The Constitution of Latvia outlines the nation as a parliamentary republic represented by a unicameral parliament and the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Latvia, which form the executive branch of the Government...
. In November, a scandal erupted in Latvia conerning the minister's correspondence with a doctor, who had expressed views perceived as Russophobic
Russophobia
Russophobia refers to a diverse spectrum of prejudices, dislikes or fears of Russia, Russians, or Russian culture. Its opposite is Russophilia....
. Kristovskis survived the vote of non-confidence held on 9 November (36 deputies representing the opposition parties of the pro-Russian Harmony Center coalition and the right-wing For a Good Latvia voted for the proposal, with 51 deputies from the governing coalition voting against).
He is a signatory of the Prague Declaration on European Conscience and Communism
Prague Declaration on European Conscience and Communism
The Prague Declaration on European Conscience and Communism , which was signed on 3 June 2008, was a declaration signed by prominent European politicians, former political prisoners and historians, including past signatories of Charter 77 such as Václav Havel, which called for condemnation of and...
, and co-sponsored the European Parliament resolution of 2 April 2009 on European conscience and totalitarianism
European Parliament resolution of 2 April 2009 on European conscience and totalitarianism
The European Parliament resolution of 2 April 2009 on European conscience and totalitarianism was a resolution of the European Parliament adopted on 2 April 2009 by a vote of 533-44 with 33 abstentions, in which the European Parliament condemned totalitarian crimes and called for the recognition of...
.