The now former State Secretary to the Latvian Ministry of Defence Jānis Garisons says he found minister Andris Sprūds management style unacceptable, adding that the two had different opinions on various topics.
Garisons did not explain the reasons why he decided to leave his post in the ministry in more detail to LETA. He only said he remains open to job offers. At the same time, he confirmed he will continue working as chairman of the council of Valsts nekustamie īpašumi.
The 8th of January marked his last days as state secretary.
LETA previously reported that after Garisons left the Ministry of Defence, his duties were delegated to deputy state secretary Rolands Heniņš. A personnel selection process for this position was announced this week.
Garisons remained the state secretary to the Ministry of Defence since 2015. Before then he was the ministry’s director for policy and deputy state secretary.
Sprūds previously reported that he and Garisons had different opinions on various topics.
Looking back at eight years spent in this post, Garisons mentioned on his Facebook page that his main objective was developing Latvia’s self-defence capabilities, which included not only supplying necessary complex weapons systems but also ensuring properly trained personnel.
“Although a great deal was accomplished through various internal reforms to simplify and make processes more transparent, there is still a lot left to do to make changes irreversible. It was clear that the start of this process that there are many who don’t want change,” said Garisons.
The Russian war in Ukraine proved countless times that Latvia and other NATO allies have to prepare. While Ukraine is fighting for its right to freedom, we are given time to prepare and prevent a Russian attack, the official says.
“One of our tasks is providing Latvia’s army with sufficient stores of ammunition. In any event there are great challenges ahead for us,” said Garisons.
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Former Latvian state secretary to Ministry of Defence opens up on reasons for leaving his post
