Baiba Braže
Braže then worked as a Foreign Affairs adviser to Prime Minister Vilis Krištopans and later served as the Ambassador of Latvia to the Netherlands from July 2003 to August 2008.After her husband became the Dutch ambassador to several Asian countries, Braže moved with her family to Asia and studied at the Chulalongkorn University whilst living there.[15] In April 2017, Braže celebrated the 98th anniversary of the statehood of Latvia in London where she addressed guests and reminded them of the Latvian support for the UK at the end of World War I and said "we hope that will never be necessary again.[18][19] Whilst Johnson spoke about the relationship between Latvia and the UK, Braže highlighted the close historical ties and pointed to the well developed cooperation between the countries.[18] In July 2018, Braže made her first official visit to Guernsey where she met with representatives of the Latvian community and also fired the noon-day gun at Castle Cornet, as well as learning about the culture and heritage of the island.[20] On 30 September 2018, in response to Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Jeremy Hunt, comparing the EU to the Soviet Union, Braže tweeted and rebuked the comparison.[25] On 29 January 2020, Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkēvičs announced that Braže would leave her Ambassadorship to take up the position of NATO Assistant Secretary General for Public Diplomacy, tweeting that he was "confident that her knowledge and experience" would be a "great asset for the whole Alliance."[26] Braže herself said that she was looking forward to working for the "most successful defensive alliance" and was congratulated by various officials on her appointment, including by former President Egils Levits and Ambassador Māris Riekstiņš.[37] In her address at the event, Braže said that unity and cohesion was central to NATO and said that, in difficult times, the leadership and commitment of Turkey was needed.[38] At the opening, she reiterated the commitment of NATO in the Madrid summit to work with the relevant people to hold all those responsible for war crimes accountable.[43] In her pre-recorded marks, Braže highlighted the importance of support to Ukraine and also to uphold the rules of international order in the current security environment.[43] In June, ahead of the 2023 Vilinius summit, Braže argued that since the time Russia had invaded Ukraine, China had become "a hostile actor to NATO."[44] She went on to say that China would become a "bigger issue for NATO" if it learned from Russia that the use of force is "something they can get away with"; citing this as a reason that standing for Ukraine was a "matter of international security.[46] Braže thanked Canada for its contribution to the security of Latvia, highlighting the expansion of NATO in particular, and also commended the country for its stance on the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[46] On 13 and 14 November 2023, Braže participated in an OECD conference on tackling disinformation and represented Latvia in a panel discussion on coordination within and across governments.[49] On 17 April, President Edgars Rinkēvičs, himself being the longest serving Foreign Minister in Latvian history and the predecessor of Kariņš, announced his support for Braže."[59] On 24 June, Braže attended the EU FAC in Luxembourg where she said that "significant progress" had been made on "restricting Russia's capabilities" and that the sanctions package contained "vital decisions.[61] Braže attended the informal meeting of NATO Foreign Ministers on 30 and 31 May, during which she securing a package of support for Ukraine at the Washington summit as a "strategic priority and goal.[63] She met with the Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dmytro Kuleba, where she confirmed Latvia's intention to advocate for EU sanctions on Russia.[69] They discussed the bilateral cooperation between the two countries and support for Ukraine, with Braže thanking Canada for its contribution to the security and defence of Latvia.[72] Braže is married to Tjaco van den Hout, a former Dutch Ambassador and visiting professorial fellow at the Riga Graduate School of Law.[73] She marks the time when she was ambassador to the Netherlands, driving her car, opening the window and waving to van den Hout, who was on a bicycle, as the beginning of their relationship, despite having met before."[73] On 20 May 2024, Braže participated in a half marathon fundraiser which collected over 14000 euros in order to purchase military drones for the defence of Ukraine.
Her ExcellencyMinister of Foreign AffairsIncumbentEvika SiliņaKrišjānis KariņšNATO Assistant Secretary General for Public DiplomacySecretary GeneralJens StoltenbergAmbassadorLatviaUnited KingdomRaimonds VējonisElizabeth IIAndris TeikmanisIndonesiaNetherlandsVaira Vīķe-FreibergaQueen BeatrixPermanent RepresentativeUnited NationsLatvian SSRNew UnityAlma materUniversity of LatviaChulalongkorn UniversityUniversity of GroningenÅbo Akademi UniversityMinistry of Foreign AffairsSalzburgVilis Krištopansnon-residentAmbassador of Latvia to IndonesiaBrexit referendumAmbassador at LargeSiliņa cabinetSandra KalnieteLatvian Soviet Socialist RepublicSoviet UnionLiepājaBārtajavelin throwerValentīna EidukaMariss JansonsBaltic WaySoviet occupationThe DiplomatMaster's degreepolitical scienceInternational Public Lawcouncil of the EUNATO Defense CollegeLatvian Foreign MinistryPermanent MissionNew YorkRepublic of IndonesiaJoko WidodoGlasgowExternal Affairs SecretaryFiona Hyslopletters of credenceQueen Elizabeth IIBuckingham PalaceLondonWorld War IMark PriskPeter AmmonArkady RzegockiNorthern IrelandSecretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth AffairsBoris JohnsonLancaster HouseInāra MūrnieceJohn BercowGuernseyCastle CornetJeremy HuntDigital, Culture, Media and Sport CommitteeDamian CollinsElectoral CommissionEdgars RinkēvičsEgils LevitsMāris RiekstiņšwebinarMaroš ŠefčovičCOVID-19 pandemicNATO Parliamentary AssemblyGerry ConnollyAttila MesterházyGerman Marshall FundAtlantic CouncilMircea GeoanăDavid AngellEstoniawithdrawal of U.S. troops from AfghanistanRussian atrocities in UkraineMadrid summitBrigadier GeneralCinquantenaire ArchCanberraDepartment of Foreign Affairs and TradeChief of the Australian Defence ForceAngus CampbellHelsinkiDeividas Matulionis2023 Vilinius summitHouse of Commons of CanadaJohn McKayBaltic regionAtlanticRussian invasion of UkraineIgor Zhovkvanon-partisan basisLuxembourgForeign Affairs CouncilDenys ShmyhalUkraineDmytro KulebaChairman of the Verkhovna RadaRuslan StefanchukDeputy Prime MinisterOlha StefanishynaOleksandr LytvynenkoMykola KolisnykLithuaniaUnited States Ambassador to LatviaChristopher T. Robinson