The new minister of foreign affairs needs to be selected as quickly as possible, said Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs after his meeting with Prime Minister Evika Siliņa on Wednesday, the 3rd of April.
He stressed that during the meeting with the PM, the two discussed the criteria and the process. They did not discuss potential candidates. Rinkēvičs said the new minister needs to be someone with good geopolitical understanding, knowledge of European affairs and the ability to work with these topics very quickly.
When asked if he has former parliamentary secretary to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Zanda Kalniņa-Lukaševica in mind for this post, Rinkēvičs said he will not comment public speculations, adding that he and the PM did not discuss any candidates during their meeting.
“The prime minister affirmed there is active work underway to find the best possible candidate. I trust there will be a candidate by the time we meet again,” said the president.
As for whether the election of a new minister of foreign affairs could lead to changes in the government, Siliņa said such a matter is not on the agenda as of yet. This is because none of the possible candidates have been discussed so far. She said once clarity on this matter is achieved, it will become clear whether changes are needed.
As it is known, Minister of Foreign Affairs and ex-PM Krišjānis Kariņš announced his decision to step down on Thursday, the 28th of March. He will officially leave his post on the 10th of April.
Also read: Krišjānis Kariņš’s decision to step down as minister is understandable, says Latvian president
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