Latvia's UN Ambassador to Speak at Marist

POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. (Feb. 3, 2017) –Janis Mazeiks, Latvian Ambassador to the United Nations, will speak on the question of "A New Cold War in East Europe?" on Wednesday, Feb. 8 at 7 p.m. in the Hancock Center, Room 2023. The event is sponsored by Marist, the World Affairs Council of the Mid-Hudson Valley, and the Mid-Hudson Valley chapter of the United Nations Association of the United States. After brief introductory remarks, the Ambassador will take questions from the moderator and the audience. The event is free and open to the public. 

In response to the increasingly-assertive Russian foreign policy, and growing tensions between Russia and many European countries and the U.S., many have questioned what will be the future of East Europe. This event will provide some answers to the role of Russia in global politics, the future of NATO and East European security, as well as American-European relations. 

Janis Mazeiks joined the Latvian diplomatic service in 1995. During his public service career he has primarily dealt with international organizations (United Nations, Council of Europe, OSCE) and has been actively involved in human rights policy development in Latvia.

He served as Latvia’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the Council of Europe, Strasbourg, France between 2002 and 2005. In addition, he served as Latvia’s Ambassador, Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva and to the WTO from 2007 to 2011.

In 2006-2007 he was the Foreign Policy Adviser to the President of the Republic of Latvia Vaira Vike-Freiberga and was involved in the preparations for the NATO Riga Summit in 2006. Most recently, in September of 2013, Janis Mazeiks took up the position of Ambassador, Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York.