Kristiina Ojuland facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Kristiina Ojuland
|
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Minister of Foreign Affairs | |
| In office 28 January 2002 – 8 February 2005 |
|
| Prime Minister | Siim Kallas Juhan Parts |
| Preceded by | Toomas Hendrik Ilves |
| Succeeded by | Rein Lang |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 17 December 1966 Kohtla-Järve, Estonia |
| Political party | Reform Party, People's Unity Party |
Kristiina Ojuland was born on December 17, 1966, in Kohtla-Järve, Estonia. She is an Estonian politician who has held important roles in her country's government. From 2002 to 2005, she served as the Foreign Minister of Estonia.
Kristiina Ojuland was a member of the Estonian Reform Party for many years, from 1995 until 2013. She also represented Estonia in the European Parliament as one of its six Estonian MEPs from 2009 to 2014. Later, she started a new political group called the Party of People's Unity.
Contents
Education and Early Career
Kristiina Ojuland studied law at the University of Tartu, where she earned her degree in 1990. She continued her studies at the Estonian School of Diplomacy in Tallinn in 1992. She also took part in special programs at the Graduate Institute of International Studies in Geneva and the Vienna School of International Studies in 1993.
Starting in Government Work
From 1990 to 1992, Ojuland worked for the Estonian Ministry of Justice. She helped write new laws. In 1992, she moved to the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. There, she focused on matters related to the Council of Europe.
She was promoted in 1993 to be Estonia's main representative to the Council of Europe. She held this position for one year. After that, she became the Director of the Estonian Broadcasting Association.
Joining the Reform Party
In 1994, Kristiina Ojuland entered politics. She became a member of the Riigikogu, which is Estonia's parliament. She joined the parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee. From 1996, she also led the Estonian-French parliamentary friendship group.
In 1995, she officially joined the Estonian Reform Party. She became their spokesperson for foreign affairs. Because the Reform Party was connected to the European Liberal, Democrat and Reform Party (ELDR), she became a Vice President of ELDR in 1999. She also led the LDR group in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE). She had been the head of the Estonian Parliamentary Delegation to PACE since 1996.
Role as Foreign Minister
Kristiina Ojuland served as the Estonian minister of foreign affairs from 2002 to 2005. Her time as minister ended after some important documents went missing from her department.
From 2004 to 2007, she led the European Affairs Committee in the Riigikogu. In June 2004, she tried to become the secretary-general of the Council of Europe, but she did not win. She was the first vice-speaker of the parliament from 2007 to 2009. After that, she became a Member of the European Parliament for the ALDE group. From 2007 to 2014, she was also a Vice President of the ELDR.
In June 2013, she was removed from the Reform Party. This happened because of problems with how votes were counted within the party.
Party of People's Unity
In 2014, Ojuland started a new political party called the Party of People's Unity. She became its leader. During this time, she began to express strong views on certain social and cultural issues, especially about immigration.
Her party tried to win seats in the Estonian parliament in the 2015 and 2019 elections, but they did not succeed. The party was later dissolved in 2019.
Awards and Personal Life
Kristiina Ojuland has received several important awards for her work:
- Commander of the Legion of Honour from France.
- Grand Cross of the Order of Infante D. Henrique from Portugal.
- The Order of the National Coat of Arms 5th class from Estonia.
- Grand Decoration of Honour in Gold with Star for Services to the Republic of Austria (2007).
Family Life
Kristiina Ojuland was married to Erik Siigur from 1987 to 2000. Later, her partner was a businessman named Raimo Kägu.
Other Activities
In 2007, Kristiina Ojuland took part in the second season of Tantsud tähtedega. This was an Estonian TV show similar to Dancing with the Stars, where celebrities dance with professional partners. Her dancing partner was Aleksandr Makarov.
