Urmas Paet
Encyclopedia
Urmas Paet is an Estonia
n politician who has been Minister of Foreign Affairs of Estonia since 2005. He is a member of the Estonian Reform Party
. As of September 2010, Paet has been the longest serving minister since the re-establishment of Estonian independence.
. He graduated from the University of Tartu
in 1996 with a BA in political science
and continued his graduate studies there, however without obtaining the degree. He had been active in journalism during his studies, and continued in that career until 1999, when he entered politics by joining the Reform Party and becoming professional advisor. He served as the Deputy Mayor of Nõmme
(a district of Tallinn) from 1999 to 2003.
In April 2003, when the Juhan Parts
government took office, Paet became Estonian Minister of Culture
. He remained in that position until April 2005, when the Parts government fell. Since April 2005, when the Andrus Ansip
cabinet
took office, he has been Foreign Minister.
Paet is married and has two children. He is a polyglot
and speaks Estonian, Russian, German, Finnish and English.
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
n politician who has been Minister of Foreign Affairs of Estonia since 2005. He is a member of the Estonian Reform Party
Estonian Reform Party
The Estonian Reform Party is a centre-right, free market liberal party in Estonia. It is led by Estonian Prime Minister Andrus Ansip, and has 33 members in the 101-member Riigikogu, making it the largest party in the legislature...
. As of September 2010, Paet has been the longest serving minister since the re-establishment of Estonian independence.
Biography
Paet was born in TallinnTallinn
Tallinn is the capital and largest city of Estonia. It occupies an area of with a population of 414,940. It is situated on the northern coast of the country, on the banks of the Gulf of Finland, south of Helsinki, east of Stockholm and west of Saint Petersburg. Tallinn's Old Town is in the list...
. He graduated from the University of Tartu
University of Tartu
The University of Tartu is a classical university in the city of Tartu, Estonia. University of Tartu is the national university of Estonia; it is the biggest and highest-ranked university in Estonia...
in 1996 with a BA in political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
and continued his graduate studies there, however without obtaining the degree. He had been active in journalism during his studies, and continued in that career until 1999, when he entered politics by joining the Reform Party and becoming professional advisor. He served as the Deputy Mayor of Nõmme
Nõmme
Nõmme is one of the 8 administrative districts of Tallinn, the capital of Estonia. It has a population of 38,168 and covers an area of , population density is...
(a district of Tallinn) from 1999 to 2003.
In April 2003, when the Juhan Parts
Juhan Parts
Juhan Parts is an Estonian politician who was Prime Minister of Estonia from 2003 to 2005. He was chairman of the Res Publica Party for a time. Since 5 April 2007 he is the Minister of Economy and Communication in Andrus Ansip's second government...
government took office, Paet became Estonian Minister of Culture
Ministry of Culture (Estonia)
The Ministry of Culture of Estonia is a Cabinet-level governmental agency in Estonia in charge of conducting and organising the country's cultural affairs and policies.-Structure of the ministry:...
. He remained in that position until April 2005, when the Parts government fell. Since April 2005, when the Andrus Ansip
Andrus Ansip
Andrus Ansip is the current Prime Minister of Estonia, and chairman of the market liberal Estonian Reform Party .-Early life and career:...
cabinet
Andrus Ansip's cabinet
Andrus Ansip is the current Prime Minister of Estonia; his first cabinet took office on 12 April 2005 after being approved by Riigikogu by 53 members out of 101. His cabinet was formed with pragmatic calculations, as it consisted of ministers from free market liberal Reform Party of Estonia,...
took office, he has been Foreign Minister.
Paet is married and has two children. He is a polyglot
Multilingualism
Multilingualism is the act of using, or promoting the use of, multiple languages, either by an individual speaker or by a community of speakers. Multilingual speakers outnumber monolingual speakers in the world's population. Multilingualism is becoming a social phenomenon governed by the needs of...
and speaks Estonian, Russian, German, Finnish and English.