Urmas Paet

Urmas Paet (2005)

Urmas Paet (born April 20, 1974 in Tallinn ) is an Estonian politician. He was Foreign Minister of the Republic of Estonia from April 2005 to November 2014. Paet belongs to the liberal reform party ( Reformierakond ).

Life and politics

Urmas Paet studied political science at the University of Tartu until 1996 . From May 1991 to September 1994 he was an editor at the public service broadcaster Eesti Raadio , before he worked as a journalist for the Estonian daily Postimees from 1994 to 1999 . From 1999 to 2003 he was mayor of Tallinn's Nõmme district . From April 2003 to April 2004 Paet was Minister of Culture of the Republic of Estonia in the government of Prime Minister Juhan Parts .

On April 13, 2005, he was sworn in as Foreign Minister of the Republic of Estonia in the government of Prime Minister Andrus Ansip . He held the same office from March to November 2014 in the social-liberal coalition government under Prime Minister Taavi Rõivas . Paet was the longest-serving foreign minister of the Republic of Estonia since the declaration of independence in 1918.

Urmas Paet has been a member of the Reform Party in the European Parliament since November 2014 . He succeeded the former Prime Minister Andrus Ansip, who moved to the European Commission .

Private life

Urmas Paet is married to the Estonian philologist Tiina Paet and has two daughters. In addition to his native Estonian, Urmas Paet also speaks Finnish, Russian, German and English.

Web links

Commons : Urmas Paet  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Entry on Urmas Paet in the European Parliament 's database of deputies