On 18 August 2020, in Riga Castle, the President of Latvia, Egils Levits, presented credentials to the Ambassador-designate of Latvia to the French Republic and representative to the International Organisation of La Francophonie, Eduards Stiprais.
Eduards Stiprais began his diplomatic career in 1993 and is one of the most experienced Latvian diplomats. He has been posted as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Latvia to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, headed the Bilateral Relations Directorate at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, served as Head of the President’s Chancery, held the post of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary at the Permanent Mission of Latvia to the EU, as well as being Head of the Secretariat of the Delegation for Latvia’s EU accession negotiations. From 2013 to 2016, Eduards Stiprais was Under Secretary of State, Political Director at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Since 2016 till present, Ambassador Stiprais has been Head of the European Union Delegation to Uzbekistan.
Eduards Stiprais has been awarded the Order of the Three Stars, Fourth Class, by Latvia, as well as receiving state decorations form Ukraine, Norway and France.
Eduards Stiprais has graduated from the Faculty of Economics at the University of Latvia and his further education includes courses at the French National School of Administration (École nationale d'administration) and the Swedish Institute of International Affairs.
In his ambassadorial posting, Eduards Stiprais is succeeding Imants Lieģis, who has been representing Latvia’s interests in the French Republic since 2016.