Foreign ministry top official to resign and stand in 2027 election
The top official at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Jonatan Vseviov, has said he will resign on Thursday to run in next spring's national election for the Social Democratic Party (SDE).
Vseviov is currently in his second term as the ministry's secretary general and is Estonia's former ambassador in Washington. Previously, he was secretary general at the Ministry of Defense.
Vseviov will submit his resignation on Thursday and will leave his post on November 1.
"I have devoted my entire life so far to protecting and developing Estonia as a diplomat and civil servant. I have had the honor of leading dedicated teams with whom we have shaped Estonia's foreign and defense policy and implemented many of the decisions that have brought us to where we are today," Vseviov said.
"Today, however, I see that protecting Estonia and moving it forward requires more than what I can do as a civil servant. That is why I have decided to leave the civil service, join the Social Democrats and run in the upcoming elections," he said.
SDE Chairman Lauri Läänemets said Estonia's security and its position in the international arena require strong leadership.
"Jonatan Vseviov knows Estonia's security and foreign policy inside out and has extensive international experience. He has shaped Estonia's defense policy, led the Ministry of Defense, represented Estonia as ambassador in Washington and headed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs," Läänemets said.
Vseviov took office as secretary general of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in February 2021. Before that, he had served as Estonia's ambassador to the United States since August 2018.
From 2008 to 2018, Vseviov worked at the Ministry of Defense, eventually becoming its secretary general.
Before being appointed secretary general in January 2016, Vseviov served as deputy secretary general for defense planning, acting deputy secretary general for defense policy and director of the policy planning department.
Vseviov graduated from the University of Tartu with a degree in political science and earned a master's degree with honors in security studies from Georgetown University.
From 1999 to 2005, Vseviov was a member of the Reform Party.
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Editor: Helen Wright, Mirjam Mäekivi
