Artis Pabriks

After completing his mandatory two-year stint in the Soviet Army, Pabriks obtained a degree in history from the University of Latvia in 1992 and, on a Danish-financed grant,Gary Peach (October 23, 2013), [http://www.politico.eu/article/tolerant-fighter/ Artis Pabriks – Tolerant fighter] European Voice. completed his Ph.D. in political science from the University of Aarhus in 1996.

After finishing his Ph.D. on minorities in Europe,Alison Smale (August 23, 2014), [https://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/24/world/europe/latvias-tensions-with-russians-at-home-persist-in-shadow-of-ukraine.html Latvia’s Tensions With Russians at Home Persist in Shadow of Ukraine Conflict] The New York Times. he became the rector of the Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences, a newly founded regional college located in Valmiera. He has co-authored one book: Latvia: Challenge of Change (2001), which was subsequently re-published together with volumes on Lithuania and Estonia under the title The Baltic States: Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania (2002). Both were published by Routledge.

Pabriks was one of the founding members of the People's Party in 1998 and became a member of the Saeima in March 2004. He served as chairman of the Foreign Affairs Commission.

Pabriks was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs on 21 July 2004. He resigned from his position in October 2007 due to disagreements with the leadership of the People's Party, which he subsequently left.

In September 2008, Pabriks was one of founding members of the Society for Political Change. He was a visiting professor at Bosphorus University in Istanbul lecturing for the first semester of the 2009-2010 academic year.

File:Defense.gov News Photo 110413-D-WQ296-016 - Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates escorts Latvian Minister of Defense Artis Pabriks left through an honor cordon and into the Pentagon for.jpg at the Pentagon.]]

After the 2010 parliamentary election, Pabriks re-entered the government as the Minister of Defence.

In 2010 Pabriks challenged the incumbent general secretary of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, Spencer Oliver for his position. Pabriks, supported by the Latvian delegation, called the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s rules "quite shocking from the perspective of an organization that's monitoring elections". It would have required a full consensus minus one to oust Oliver who has been in the position of general secretary since the organization’s inception in 1992. Pabriks was unsuccessful in his challenge.{{Cite web |last=Smith |first=Ben |date=2010-07-01 |title=An election in Copenhagen |url=https://www.politico.com/blogs/ben-smith/2010/07/an-election-in-copenhagen-027923 |access-date=2023-09-26 |website=POLITICO |language=en}}

In early 2014, Pabriks was Unity’s first nominee to replace incumbent Prime Minister Valdis Dombrovskis; however, he was rejected by President Andris Bērziņš who argued that he lacked economic credentials. Instead, the position went to Laimdota Straujuma.{{Cite web |date=2014-01-08 |title=Latvia poised to gain its first female prime minister |url=https://www.politico.eu/article/latvia-poised-to-gain-its-first-female-prime-minister/ |access-date=2023-09-26 |website=POLITICO |language=en}}

Pabriks was elected to the European Parliament at the European election in 2014. He has since been serving on the Committee on International Trade. In this capacity, he is the Parliament’s chief rapporteur on EU-Canada trade agreement CETA. In addition to his committee assignments, he is a member of the Parliament’s delegations to the Euro-Latin American Parliamentary Assembly and for relations with the countries of Central America.

In 2015, news media reported that Pabriks was included in a Russian blacklist of prominent people from the European Union who are not allowed to enter the country.Laurence Norman (May 30, 2015), [https://www.wsj.com/articles/russia-produces-blacklist-of-eu-people-banned-from-entering-russia-1432986289 Russia Produces Blacklist of EU People Banned From Entering Country] The Wall Street Journal.[https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-32949236 European Union anger at Russian travel blacklist] BBC News, May 31, 2015.

In 2016, Pabriks was the Parliament’s lead negotiator on a proposal to set up a new EU border force and coast guard.Jacopo Barigazzi (June 22, 2016), [http://www.politico.eu/article/eu-border-force-coast-guard-moves-toward-reality/ Parliament and Council agree on the EU border, coast guard] Politico Europe.

File:U.S. Acting Secretary of Defense Attends NATO Defense Ministerial DVIDS5103208.jpg and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in Brussels.]]

In June 2018 Pabriks left the Unity party and joined the liberal movement Development/For!. He was nominated as the prime ministerial candidate of this electoral alliance and was elected member of the Saeima in the 2018 parliamentary election.

Between January 2019 and 14 December 2022 he was the Minister for Defence and Deputy Prime Minister of Latvia in the First Kariņš cabinet.

• Baltic Review, Member of the Editorial Board (since 2002)

Pabriks has a daughter from a previous marriage and two children from his wife Undine, an ethnic German.

Pabriks speaks fluent Latvian, Russian, and English, as well as some German and Danish.

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• [http://www.worldwhoswho.com/views/entry.html?id=sl1137761 PABRIKS, Artis] International Who's Who. accessed September 1, 2006.
• Pabriks A. [http://pdc.ceu.hu/archive/00001525/ Occupational representation and ethnic discrimination in Latvia — Rīga: Nordik, 2002.] {{ISBN|9984-675-78-5}}

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Category:1966 births

Category:Living people

Category:People from Jūrmala

Category:People's Party (Latvia) politicians

Category:Society for Political Change politicians

Category:New Unity politicians

Category:For Latvia's Development politicians

Category:Ministers of foreign affairs of Latvia

Category:Ministers of defence of Latvia

Category:Deputies of the 8th Saeima

Category:Deputies of the 9th Saeima

Category:Deputies of the 10th Saeima

Category:Deputies of the 11th Saeima

Category:Deputies of the 13th Saeima

Category:MEPs for Latvia 2014–2019

Category:University of Latvia alumni

Category:Rectors of universities in Latvia

Category:Recipients of the Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana, 2nd Class

Category:Aarhus University alumni