Ambassador Marina Kaljurand

Marina Kaljurand served as Estonian Foreign Minister from 2015 July – 2016 October. She began her career at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1991 and had since held several leadership positions, including Undersecretary for Legal and Consular Affairs (Legal Adviser), Undersecretary for Trade and Development Cooperation, Undersecretary for Political Affairs. She has also been appointed as Ambassador of Estonia to several countries, including the State of Israel, the Russian Federation, Kazakhstan, Mexico, Canada and the United States of America. She has played an important role as expert and negotiator in the process of Russian troop withdrawal and in negotiations on land and maritime boundaries agreements between Estonia and the Russian Federation, as well as in the accession negotiations of Estonia to the European Union and to the OECD. Marina Kaljurand has served twice as the Estonian National Expert at the United Nations Group of Governmental Experts on Developments in the Field of Information and Telecommunications in the Context of International Security, in 2014-2015 and currently.

Marina Kaljurand graduated with cum laude from Tartu University (M.A. in Law), she also has a professional diploma from Estonian School of Diplomacy and an M.A. degree in International Law and Diplomacy from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University. Additionally, she has undergone professional training at the Universities of Lapland, Pittsburgh and Durham and at the Civil Service College in London. She is a founding member of the Estonian branch of the International Law Association and of WIIS-EST (Estonian branch of Women in International Security). She has been awarded the Order of White Star, III class, and the Order of the National Coat of Arms, III class, by the President of Estonia. She is fluent in Estonian, English and Russian.

Marina Kaljurand was born on September 6, 1962 in Tallinn, Estonia. She is married to Kalle Kaljurand and they have two children: daughter Kaisa (1987) and son Kristjan (1992).