Jānis Jurkāns
Encyclopedia
Jānis Jurkāns is a Latvian politician, one of the leaders of the Latvian Popular Front, who served as foreign minister (1990–1992).
. In 1994, Jurkāns founded the National Harmony Party
and was the chairman of the party's faction in Seima (1994–1996; 1997–1998) and later of the parliamentary faction of the For Human Rights in United Latvia
alliance. He was a deputy in the V, VI, VII and VIII convocations of Seima (1993–2006). In 2002, he visited Moscow and met Vladimir Putin, who expressed support for Jurkāns's policies. In 2005 he distanced himself from politics, concentrating on the logistics corporation "Baltijas asociācija – transports un loģistika".
Jānis Jurkāns is married with two sons.
Biography
Jānis Jurkāns was born in 1946 into a family with Polish-Latvian roots. In 1974 Jurkāns graduated from the Latvian State University, majoring in English. He worked as a lecturer from 1974 to 1978. In 1989 he became an activist of the Popular Front. Jurkāns was the foreign minister of Latvia (1990–1992). He resigned in 1992 due to opposition to the Latvian citizenship law, that in his view menaced the civic concord in Latvia; he also rejected territorial claims to the Abrene districtAbrene district
The Abrene district was an administrative district in the Republic of Latvia with an area of 4292 square kilometers, formed in 1925 from the northern part of the Ludza district and the western part of the Ostrov region as the Jaunlatgale district, but this was renamed Abrene in 1938...
. In 1994, Jurkāns founded the National Harmony Party
National Harmony Party
The National Harmony Party was a political party in Latvia.The party identified itself as a social-democratic party. It supported further liberalisation of the citizenship law by granting citizenship to each non-citizen who had lived in Latvia for at least 10 years...
and was the chairman of the party's faction in Seima (1994–1996; 1997–1998) and later of the parliamentary faction of the For Human Rights in United Latvia
For Human Rights in United Latvia
For Human Rights in United Latvia is a left-wing political party in Latvia, supported mainly by ethnic Russians and other non-Latvian minorities. Co-chairpersons of its Ruling Board are Tatjana Ždanoka, Jakovs Pliners and Miroslav Mitrofanov....
alliance. He was a deputy in the V, VI, VII and VIII convocations of Seima (1993–2006). In 2002, he visited Moscow and met Vladimir Putin, who expressed support for Jurkāns's policies. In 2005 he distanced himself from politics, concentrating on the logistics corporation "Baltijas asociācija – transports un loģistika".
Jānis Jurkāns is married with two sons.