Flickr
On 27 April 2026, during a formal ceremony at Riga Castle, President Edgars Rinkēvičs presented a letter of credence to Juris Pēkalis, the next Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Latvia to the Republic of Estonia.
Juris Pēkalis began working at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1996 in the International Law Division of the Legal Department. In subsequent years, he served as Head of the Humanitarian Affairs Division, Head of the NATO and European Security Policy Division, and Head of the Office of the State Secretary. At the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he also headed the Second Bilateral Relations Department and the European Department.
During his diplomatic career, he worked at the Permanent Delegation of the Republic of Latvia to NATO and served as First Secretary and later as Counsellor and Deputy Chief of Mission at the Embassy of Latvia in the United States. From 2023 to 2024, he served as Foreign Affairs Advisor to the Speaker of the Saeima.
Since 2024, Juris Pēkalis has been Head of the Directorate of Security Policy and International Organisations at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
He holds a degree in law and a professional master’s degree from the University of Latvia. He has furthered his knowledge at King’s College London in the field of international treaty law and practice, as well as at the George C. Marshall European Center For Security Studies, the EU Institute for Security Studies, and the NATO School Oberammergau (Germany).
In the second half of the year, Juris Pēkalis will succeed Ambassador Kristīne Lauritsa, who has represented Latvia’s interests in Estonia since 2022.