Estonia sending new Ambassador to Russia

Pursuant to Foreign Service Act, the procedure of appointment of Ambassadors prescribes that Minister of Foreign Affairs as advised by evaluation committee proposes the candidacy to the government which confirms it and has recourse to President for consent. Thereafter, foreign minister applies for consent by a competent authority of the foreign nation i.e. the agrément. Having secured the consent, foreign minister notifies the government which proposes to President to nominate the candidate as Ambassador.

The nomination of the new Ambassador to Russia will be discussed by the government tomorrow. Foreign ministry press representative affirmed to Postimees that the foreign minister would indeed propose the new Ambassador to government, but the name may only be mentioned after the candidate, having secured Presidential consent and Russia’s agrément, has been nominated into office. «That will take time. At the moment, all we can say is that the candidate is a strong diplomat with diverse experience,» she said.

According to officially unconfirmed data, the candidate is Arti Hilpus, born in Elva in 1972, a graduate of history faculty at University of Tartu and afterwards additionally educated at Geneva Centre for Security Policy. Since 1996, Mr Hilpus worked at foreign ministry where he has served as chief of staff and single EU foreign and security policy bureau director.

In 2001–2004, Mr Hilpus was 1st secretary at Embassy in Berlin in policy issues, and lead security policy bureau at foreign ministry 1st policy department after that. Since 2009, Mr Hilpus served as Estonia’s Ambassador in Norway and Iceland. Currently, he serves as Estonia’s Ambassador to Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro.

At the moment, Estonia’s Ambassador to Russia is Jüri Luik, nominated by President Toomas Hendrik Ilves in the summer of 2012.