Edgars Rinkevics was elected today president of latvia, beating Uldis Pilens in the third round of voting held in parliament. The 49-year-old Rinkevic, foreign minister since 2011, secured 52 positive votes out of a total of 87. He will succeed 67-year-old Egils Levics, who did not seek re-election.

“I will do everything to ensure the prosperity and security of our country,” assured Rinkevic in his first statements after his election. In a press conference he gave, he emphasized, among other things, that Latvia will continue to have an active role in the European Union and NATO, while it will continue to support Ukraine in its fight against the Russian invaders.

Head of Latvian diplomacy for 12 years, Rinkevic is the longest-serving foreign minister in the history of the country, which sits on the so-called “eastern wing” of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and borders Russia and Belarus, among others.

“I am losing an excellent foreign minister, but we are gaining an excellent President of the Republic”commented Prime Minister Krisianis Karins.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky congratulated Rinkevich on his election, calling him “true friend of Ukraine”.

Having publicly revealed that he is gay since 2014, Edgars Rinkevic will become the first gay president of an Eastern European country.