Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves said that if he and his fiance, Latvian cyber defense expert Ieva Kupce, should marry before his term of office ends, Kupce will give up the benefits related to the position.
Estonian president's fiance to give up benefits
Ilves wrote on social media that this week it became known that he and Kupce got engaged. «Our mailboxes and mobile phones are full of congratulatory messages and for that I thank you, but we have also received many questions. Please give us time and space to make one decision at a time,» he added.
«But I do know that if we marry before my term of office as president ends, Ieva will continue working in her field. Therefore I can say that she will not need any additional benefits and will give up her monthly representation allowance, secretary as well as the official car,» Ilves said.
This week it became known that Ilves, who at the end of April divorced from Evelin Ilves, in November got engaged with Kupce.
Kupce is the head of the Latvian Defense Ministry's national cyber security policy coordination section. She began her diplomatic career in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1997 and continued her work in the field of foreign and security policy in different institutions focusing on the issues of security, democracy, and human rights.