Trivimi Velliste
Encyclopedia
Trivimi Velliste is an Estonian
politician who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs
from 1992 to 1994 and as the Estonian Ambassador
to the United Nations
from 1994 to 1998. He currently is a Member of Parliament
in the Riigikogu representing the Pärnumaa Electoral District.
Velliste is considered one of the leading forces behind the liberation of the Baltic States
. His fight for Estonian identity as a foundation for the struggle to gain independence was an affront to the Russians
and was conducted at great personal risk. Velliste deliberately encouraged the drive for national and political freedom. In accordance with his beliefs, he founded a society for the protection of Estonian historical monuments. Velliste considered knowledge of the past to be a necessity in the fight for elementary human rights on the road to self-government and self-confidence.
In 1988, Mr Velliste was awarded the second Rafto Prize.
Estonians
Estonians are a Finnic people closely related to the Finns and inhabiting, primarily, the country of Estonia. They speak a Finnic language known as Estonian...
politician who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs
Estonian Minister of Foreign Affairs
The Minister of Foreign Affairs is the senior minister at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Estonian Government. The Minister is one of the most important members of the Estonian government, with responsibility for the relations between Estonia and foreign states.The Foreign Minister is...
from 1992 to 1994 and as the Estonian Ambassador
Ambassador
An ambassador is the highest ranking diplomat who represents a nation and is usually accredited to a foreign sovereign or government, or to an international organization....
to the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
from 1994 to 1998. He currently is a Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
in the Riigikogu representing the Pärnumaa Electoral District.
Velliste is considered one of the leading forces behind the liberation of the Baltic States
Baltic states
The term Baltic states refers to the Baltic territories which gained independence from the Russian Empire in the wake of World War I: primarily the contiguous trio of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania ; Finland also fell within the scope of the term after initially gaining independence in the 1920s.The...
. His fight for Estonian identity as a foundation for the struggle to gain independence was an affront to the Russians
Russians
The Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries....
and was conducted at great personal risk. Velliste deliberately encouraged the drive for national and political freedom. In accordance with his beliefs, he founded a society for the protection of Estonian historical monuments. Velliste considered knowledge of the past to be a necessity in the fight for elementary human rights on the road to self-government and self-confidence.
In 1988, Mr Velliste was awarded the second Rafto Prize.