Urmas Reinsalu
Reinsalu in 2023
Leader of Isamaa
Assumed office
11 May 2023
Preceded byHelir-Valdor Seeder
In office
28 January 2012 – 6 June 2015
Preceded byMart Laar
Succeeded byMargus Tsahkna
Minister of Foreign Affairs
In office
18 July 2022 – 17 April 2023
Prime MinisterKaja Kallas
Preceded byEva-Maria Liimets
Succeeded byMargus Tsahkna
In office
29 April 2019 – 26 January 2021
Prime MinisterJüri Ratas
Preceded bySven Mikser
Succeeded byEva-Maria Liimets
Minister of Justice
In office
9 April 2015 – 29 April 2019
Prime MinisterTaavi Rõivas
Jüri Ratas
Preceded byAndres Anvelt
Succeeded byRaivo Aeg
Minister of Defence
In office
11 May 2012 – 26 March 2014
Prime MinisterAndrus Ansip
Preceded byMart Laar
Succeeded bySven Mikser
Personal details
Born (1975-06-22) 22 June 1975
Tallinn, Estonia
Political partyIsamaa
Children2
Alma materUniversity of Tartu

Urmas Reinsalu (Estonian pronunciation: [ˈuɾmɑs ˈɾei̯nsɑlu]; born 22 June 1975) is an Estonian politician who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2022[1] to 2023 and previously from 2019 to 2021.[2][3] Before that, Urmas has served as the Minister of Defence between 2012 and 2014, and Minister of Justice from 2015 to 2019.[4] Reinsalu is a member and current leader of the Isamaa ("Fatherland") political party (formerly called the Pro Patria and Res Publica Union), and was the party leader from 2012 to 2015.

Early life and education

Reinsalu was born in Tallinn, Estonia, on 22 June 1975.[5] He graduated from the Tallinn Secondary School No. 37. He then studied law at the University of Tartu, graduating in 1997.[6]

Political career

Early years

From 1996 to 1997, Reinsalu worked as a specialist in public law in the Estonian Ministry of Justice, and as an advisor to then Estonian President from 1996 to 1998. In 1998, Reinsalu was appointed Director of the Office of the President of Estonia, when Lennart Meri was in office.[6][7] From 2001 to 2002, he worked as the political secretary of the Res Publica Party.[6] From 2002 to 2003, Reinsalu was a lecturer in the Estonian Academy of Security Sciences.

From 2007 to 2013, Reinsalu was a member of the Riigikogu, the unicameral parliament of Estonia. On 28 January 2012, Reinsalu became the chairman of the Pro Patria and Res Publica Union, an Estonian national-conservative, Christian-democratic political party, replacing Mart Laar.[8][9] He was elected chairman with an absolute majority in the first round of voting at the party congress held in Tallinn.[9]

Minister of Defence (2012-2015)

On 11 May 2012, Reinsalu was appointed minister of defence, replacing Mart Laar, who resigned from office due to health reasons.[5][8][10][11] Reinsalu's term as the minister of defence ended on 26 March 2014, when he was replaced by Sven Mikser.[12] From 2014 to 2015, he was a member of the Riigikogu.

Minister of Justice (2015-2019)

In the 2015 parliamentary election, Reinsalu was re-elected to the Riigikogu with 2,949 individual votes.[13] On 9 April 2015, Reinsalu became the minister of justice in Taavi Rõivas' second cabinet.

As the Pro Patria and Res Publica Union was the biggest loser in the elections with 9 seats lost, Reinsalu announced he would resign as party chairman after the party's congress in June 2015.[14] On 6 June 2015, he was replaced by Margus Tsahkna in the post.[15]

Minister of Foreign Affairs (2019-2021, 2022-2023)

Reinsalu was the Estonian Minister of Foreign Affairs from April 2019 until January 2021.[16]

He returned to the foreign ministry in July 2022, after Prime Minister Kaja Kallas dismissed her Estonian Centre Party coalition partners.[17]

At the NATO Foreign Ministers meeting in November 2022 Reinsalu stated that "The message is clear: that all NATO allies are aware that the beast also wants to take control of the Western Balkans, and we need - by practical, deliverable support to help these countries to survive."[18]

On 31 March 2023 at a meeting of the Bucharest Nine Reinsalu called for the cancellation of the NATO-Russia Founding Act, because in his view cooperation with the country was "out of the question".[19]

At the NATO Foreign Ministers' Meeting on 4-5 April 2023 in an exclusive interview with the Kyiv Independent Reinsalu warned that a "false peace is prelude to new wars"; Reinsalu "think[s] it is very reasonable" if his country acted as a conduit for the Ukrainians to obtain F-16s.[20][21]

Controversies

In 2012, Reinsalu was criticized for endorsing Estonia's "Valentine's Day Law" that declared Estonian WW2 veterans who fought on the side of Nazi Germany (including members of the 20th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS) "freedom fighters",[22] and for attending the meeting of the Union of Estonian Freedom Fighters (an organization of these veterans) on the island Saaremaa. During his visit, Reinsalu gave a laudatory speech to the veterans for having "liberated Estonia". Later on, in July 2013, he sent his greetings to the Union, praising the organization for "keeping the ideals of liberty alive".[23]

In January 2014, Reinsalu also drew ire for lauding the Waffen SS veteran Harald Nugiseks, who was the recipient of Nazi Germany's highest military award Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, at his honorary burial.[23][24]

Personal life

Reinsalu is married and has two children.[5] He is fluent in English, German, Russian and Finnish.[6]

Notes

^ Previously called the Pro Patria and Res Publica Union.

References

  1. ↑ "The Foreign Minister". vm.ee. Retrieved 23 August 2022.
  2. ↑ "Ratas' second government sworn in Monday afternoon". ERR. 29 April 2019. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
  3. ↑ "Reform, Center announce incoming ministers". ERR. 24 January 2021. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
  4. ↑ "New Estonian government assumes office". ERR. 9 April 2015. Retrieved 9 April 2015.
  5. 1 2 3 "Minister". Estonian Ministry of Defence. Retrieved 12 September 2012.
  6. 1 2 3 4 "Urmas Reinsalu". IRL. Retrieved 6 September 2013.
  7. ↑ "Urmas Reinsalu - IRL". European People's Party. Retrieved 6 September 2013.
  8. 1 2 "Minister of Defence of Estonia". NATO Parliamentary Assembly. 27 May 2012. Retrieved 12 September 2012.
  9. 1 2 "Estonia: EPP President congratulates new IRL leader". European People's Party. 28 January 2012. Retrieved 12 September 2012.
  10. ↑ "Minister of Defence Urmas Reinsalu Assumes Office". Estonian Review. 14 May 2012. Archived from the original on 15 April 2014. Retrieved 12 September 2012.
  11. ↑ "Prime Minister Ansip Makes Proposal to President to Appoint Urmas Reinsalu Minister of Defence". Government Communication Unit. 11 May 2012. Retrieved 12 September 2012.
  12. ↑ "Minister of Defence Sven Mikser". Government of Estonia. Archived from the original on 7 November 2014. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
  13. ↑ "Riigikogu valimised 2015: Detailne hääletamistulemus". Vabariigi Valimiskomisjon. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
  14. ↑ "Reinsalu to resign as IRL chairman". ERR. 9 March 2015. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
  15. ↑ "Tsahkna named IRL chairman, pledges to unite party". ERR. 24 June 2015. Retrieved 6 June 2015.
  16. ↑ "Välisministrid läbi aegade | Välisministeerium". vm.ee.
  17. ↑ "Estonian PM removes coalition partner from government". edmontonsun. 3 June 2022. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
  18. ↑ "NATO seeks to reassure Russia's neighbours fearful of instability". Reuters. 30 November 2022.
  19. ↑ "Estonian FM: It's time to annul the NATO-Russia Founding Act". Eesti Rahvusringhääling. 31 March 2023.
  20. ↑ Terajima, Asami (8 April 2023). "Estonian minister warns 'false peace is prelude to new wars,' backs NATO membership for Ukraine". Yahoo. Kyiv Independent.
  21. ↑ "Estonia does not rule out buying F-16s, transferring them to Ukraine". Trend News Agency. 9 April 2023.
  22. ↑ "Estonia's 2012 "Valentine's Day Law"". Defending History. 8 December 2022.
  23. 1 2 Shafir, Michael (December 2018). "The Nature of Postcommunist Antisemitism in East Central Europe: Ideology's Backdoor Return". Journal of Contemporary Antisemitism. 1 (2): 33–62 [40–42]. doi:10.26613/jca/1.2.12. S2CID 158144987.
  24. ↑ Estonia’s Last “Knight’s Cross” Waffen SS Man Gets Full-Honors Military Funeral
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