List of ambassadors of Russia to Latvia

Last updated

Ambassador of the Russian Federation to the Republic of Latvia
MID emblem.png
Emblem of the Russian Foreign Ministry
Incumbent
vacant
since 31 March 2023
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Embassy of Russia in Riga
Style His Excellency
The Honourable
Reports to Minister of Foreign Affairs
Seat Riga
Appointer President of Russia
Term length At the pleasure of the President
Website Embassy of Russia in Latvia

The Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the Republic of Latvia is the official representative of the President and the Government of the Russian Federation to the President and the Government of Latvia.

Contents

Before the downgrade of diplomatic relations between Russia and Latvia following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the ambassador and his staff used to work at large in the Embassy of Russia in Riga. [1] There were consulates general in Daugavpils and Liepāja. [2] [3]

In 2022, the Latvian government closed the two Russian consulates [4] and in 2023 the Russian ambassador to Latvia was expelled. [5]

History of diplomatic relations

The territory occupied by Latvia had been part of the Russian Empire since the eighteenth century. In the aftermath of the First World War and the collapse of the empire following the Russian Revolution in 1917, Latvia declared independence on 18 November 1918. Diplomatic relations were established between Latvia and the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic to Latvia on 11 August 1920, and Yakov Ganetsky was appointed the first Plenipotentiary representative on 31 August that year. [6] Representation continued until the Soviet occupation of Latvia in 1940, after which Latvia was de facto part of the USSR for the remainder of the existence of the Soviet Union, with the exception of a period of occupation by Nazi Germany between 1941 and 1944 during the Second World War. Soviet forces re-occupied Latvia in 1944, after which Latvia became a constituent part of the Soviet Union as the Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic. [6]

As part of the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, Latvia's secession was recognized by the State Council of the Soviet Union on 6 September 1991. Diplomatic relations with Russia were established on 4 October 1991. [7]

Following growing diplomatic tensions in the aftermath of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Latvian government expelled the Russian ambassador to Latvia and downgraded diplomatic relations between the countries. [5]

List of representatives (1920 – present)

Representatives of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic to Latvia (1920 – 1923)

NameTitleAppointmentTerminationNotes
Yakov Ganetsky Plenipotentiary representative31 August 19207 December 1921
Konstantin Yurenev Plenipotentiary representative1 February 192214 February 1923
Adam Semashko  [ ru ] Chargé d'affaires 19231923
Semyon Aralov Plenipotentiary representative28 May 192323 July 1923

Representatives of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics to Latvia (1923 – 1940)

NameTitleAppointmentTerminationNotes
Semyon Aralov Plenipotentiary representative23 July 192321 March 1925
Kazimir Krzheminsky Chargé d'affaires 19241924
Aleksandr Gambarov  [ ru ] Chargé d'affaires 19251925
Aleksey Chernykh  [ ru ]Plenipotentiary representative9 July 192524 February 1927
Sigizmund Borkusevich Chargé d'affaires 19261926
Ivan Lorents Plenipotentiary representative24 February 192714 September 1929
Aleksey Svidersky  [ ru ]Plenipotentiary representative14 September 192910 May 1933
Stefan Bratman-Brodovsky  [ ru ]Plenipotentiary representative10 October 193325 October 1937
Ivan Zotov  [ ru ]Plenipotentiary representative1 November 19376 April 1940
Vladimir Derevyansky  [ ru ]Plenipotentiary representative7 April 194010 October 1940

Representatives of the Russian Federation to Latvia (1992 – present)

NameTitleAppointmentTerminationNotes
Aleksandr Rannikh  [ ru ] Ambassador 2 March 199225 November 1996
Aleksandr Udaltsov  [ ru ] Ambassador 25 November 199613 February 2001
Igor Studennikov  [ ru ] Ambassador 13 February 20011 September 2004
Viktor Kalyuzhny  [ ru ] Ambassador 13 February 200111 January 2008
Alexander Veshnyakov [8] [9] Ambassador 11 January 200815 December 2016
Yevgeny Lukyanov [10] Ambassador 15 December 201625 March 2021
Vadim Vasileyev Charge d'affaires 25 March 202128 September 2021
Mikhail Vanin Ambassador 28 September 202131 March 2023declared persona non grata [5]

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References

  1. "Посольство Российской Федерации в Латвийской Республике" (in Russian). Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Russia) . Retrieved 25 October 2019.
  2. "Генеральное консульство Российской Федерации в Даугавпилсе" (in Russian). Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Russia) . Retrieved 25 October 2019.
  3. "Генеральное консульство Российской Федерации в Лиепае (Латвия)" (in Russian). Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Russia) . Retrieved 25 October 2019.
  4. "Latvia and Estonia close Russian consulates, expel staff". Reuters. 5 April 2022.
  5. 1 2 3 "Estonia and Latvia remove Russian ambassadors as tensions rise". POLITICO. 2023-01-23. Retrieved 2024-10-03.
  6. 1 2 Полномочное представительство РСФСР - СССР в Латвии (in Russian). Справочник по истории Коммунистической партии и Советского Союза 1898 - 1991. Archived from the original on 7 December 2018. Retrieved 25 October 2019.
  7. "Российско-латвийские двусторонние отношения" (in Russian). Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Russia) . Retrieved 25 October 2019.
  8. "Latvia accepts former election chief as Russia's ambassador". Radio Free Europe Newsline. 11 January 2008. Archived from the original on 14 January 2008.
  9. Указ Президента Российской Федерации от 15.12.2016 № 673 "О Вешнякове А.А."
  10. Указ Президента Российской Федерации от 15.12.2016 № 674 "О Чрезвычайном и Полномочном После Российской Федерации в Латвийской Республике"