On 26 May, at an extraordinary session, the Saeima expressed confidence in the new Minister of the Interior, Kristaps Eklons, who previously held the post of Deputy Chief of the State Fire and Rescue Service.
On taking up his post as the Minister of the Interior, Mr Eklons said:
I have agreed to take on this job because I believe that the Latvian government as a whole must now give much greater importance to internal security and strengthening the resilience of the state and society.
I want to build on what Marija Golubeva has started, especially in the areas of education and border security.
The authorities will ensure zero tolerance and punish those who support Russian aggression and provoke tensions in society, and we will address Ukrainian refugee issues in cooperation with all parties involved. We will continue to strengthen the external border and the whole civil protection system in every institution and modernize the infrastructure in all home affairs services.”
Mr Eklons was promoted to the Special Service rank of a General in 2017 and has been Deputy Chief of the State Fire and Rescue Service since 19 December 2011. Mr Eklons has extensive international experience, having qualified in both European and global exercises on civil protection and civil-military crises.
Prepared by:
Ministry of the Interior
Communication Department