Andris Sprūds (born 13 July 1971) is a Latvian foreign policy researcher, lecturer, and politician. He is a professor at Rīga Stradiņš University, a member of the

14th Saeima The Fourteenth Saeima of Latvia ( lv, 14. Saeima) was elected in the 2022 Latvian parliamentary election held on 1 October 2022. Election The 100 members of the Saeima are elected by open list proportional representation from five multi-me ...

, and the

Minister of Defence of Latvia The Defence Minister of the Republic of Latvia is the head of the Ministry of Defence, who is charged with the political leadership of the Latvian National Armed Forces. The position was re-established in November 1991 following the declaration ...

. He represents the

Progressives Progressivism holds that it is possible to improve human societies through political action. As a political movement, progressivism seeks to advance the human condition through social reform based on purported advancements in science, techn ...

party.

Personal life

In 1997, he obtained a master's degree in Central European history from

Central European University Central European University (CEU) is a private research university accredited in Austria, Hungary, and the United States, with campuses in Vienna and Budapest. The university is known for its highly intensive programs in the social sciences and ...

in Budapest, and in 1998, a master's degree in political science in international relations from

University of Latvia University of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Universitāte, shortened ''LU'') is a state-run university located in Riga, Latvia established in 1919. The ''QS World University Rankings'' places the university between 801st and 1000th globally, seventh ...

, and in 2005, he defended his doctoral degree in political science at Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Poland. He has also studied and researched at

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manha ...

Johns Hopkins University Johns Hopkins University (Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1876, Johns Hopkins is the oldest research university in the United States and in the western hemisphere. It consiste ...

University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the world's second-oldest university in contin ...

Uppsala University Uppsala University ( sv, Uppsala universitet) is a public research university in Uppsala, Sweden. Founded in 1477, it is the oldest university in Sweden and the Nordic countries still in operation. The university rose to significance durin ...

, the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs, and the Japan Institute of Energy Economics on various topics related to energy security and policy in the Baltic Sea region,

post-Soviet The post-Soviet states, also known as the former Soviet Union (FSU), the former Soviet Republics and in Russia as the near abroad (russian: links=no, ближнее зарубежье, blizhneye zarubezhye), are the 15 sovereign states that wer ...

domestic and foreign policy, as well as transatlantic relations. He has been a member of the advisory board of the Latvian Institute of International Affairs and its longstanding director.

Political career

On 1 October 2022, Sprūds was elected to the 14th Saeima from the list of the

party, not being its member. He works in the Foreign Affairs and European Affairs Committees of the Saeima. On 24 November 2022, he was elected chairman of the European Affairs Committee of the Saeima. In 2023, he joined the Progressives party. On 15 September 2023, he was appointed

Minister of Defence A defence minister or minister of defence is a cabinet official position in charge of a ministry of defense, which regulates the armed forces in sovereign states. The role of a defence minister varies considerably from country to country; in som ...

in the

cabinet Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to: Furniture * Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers * Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets * Filing ...

Evika Siliņa Evika Siliņa (born 3 August 1975) is a Latvian lawyer and politician who has been serving as the prime minister of Latvia since 15 September 2023. From 2022 to 2023, she served as in the second cabinet of prime minister Krišjānis Kariņš. S ...

References

External links

Andris Sprūds
on Cabinet of Ministers Republic of Latvia
Andris Sprūds
on Ministry of Defence Republic of Latvia
Andris Sprūds
on Rigas Stradins University {{DEFAULTSORT:Spruds, Andris 1971 births Living people Latvian historians Deputies of the 14th Saeima The Progressives (Latvia) politicians