Name Urmas Paet Signature | Role Estonian Politician | |
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Prime Minister Andrus AnsipTaavi Roivas | ||
Urmas paet minister of foreign affairs of estonia
Urmas Robert Paet (born 20 April 1974) is an Estonian politician and Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from Estonia. He is a member of the Reform Party, part of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe. He has served as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2005 to 2014 and Minister of Culture from 2003 to 2005. He was a member of the Estonian Parliament from 2003 to 2014.
Contents
- Urmas paet minister of foreign affairs of estonia
- Eige interview with urmas paet minister for foreign affairs of estonia
- Education and early career
- Political career
- Role in Estonian politics
- Member of the European Parliament 2014present
- Personal life
- References
Eige interview with urmas paet minister for foreign affairs of estonia
Education and early career
Paet was born in Tallinn. He graduated from the University of Tartu in 1996 with a BA in political science and continued his graduate studies there, but without obtaining the degree. He was active in journalism during his studies, first at Estonian Radio and later at Postimees, a mainstream daily and one of Estonia’s most popular newspapers.
Political career
Paet continued his career in journalism 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.
Role in Estonian politics
In April 2003, when the Juhan Parts government took office, Paet became Estonian Minister of Culture. In this capacity, he helped launch a new theatre, Theatre NO99
Paet remained in that position until April 2005, when the Parts government fell. In April 2005, when the Andrus Ansip cabinet took office, he became Foreign Minister.
During his time in office, the kidnapping of seven Estonian cyclists in the Beqaa Valley near the Syria-Lebanese border required Paet to undertake multiple trips to the Middle East in 2011; the cyclists’ release was secured after 113 days in captivity. By the time he left office, he was the second longest-serving foreign minister in Europe.
Member of the European Parliament, 2014–present
Paet has been a Member of the European Parliament since the 2014 European elections. A member of the ALDE (Group of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe) political faction, he currently serves on the Committee on Budgets. In this capacity, he authored a 2016 parliamentary resolution in favor of plans to increase European spending on military missions, as well as developing and sharing assets like helicopters.
In addition to his committee assignments, Paet is a member of the European Parliament Intergroup on the Digital Agenda and the European Parliament Intergroup on LGBT Rights.
In 2015, Paet nominated murdered Russian politician Boris Nemtsov for the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought.
In the 2015 Estonian elections, Paet received enough votes to take up a seat in the national parliament yet decided to keep his seat in the European Parliament.
Personal life
Paet is married and has three daughters. He speaks Estonian, German, Finnish, English and Russian.