The next U.S. ambassador to Latvia will be a career diplomat who has previously served in Estonia, a spokesperson for the U.S. Embassy in Rīga announced March 30.
The U.S. Senate on March 29 confirmed Mark Pekala’s nomination as the new ambassador. He will replace Ambassador Judith G. Garber when her term expires at the end of July, said Kristīne Kreile, media specialist in the embassy.
Pekala was nominated by President Barack Obama.
Pekala since August 2010 has served as director of the Entry-Level Division of the U.S. State Department’s Human Resources Bureau. He also has served as the deputy chief of mission in Paris. From 2005 to 2007, he was deputy assistant secretary in the State Department’s Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs, where he oversaw relations with 15 Baltic, Nordic and Central European countries.
Among other posts he has held, Pekala from 2002-2005 was deputy chief of mission in the U.S. Embassy in Estonia.
In his nomination testimony before the U.S. Senate’s Foreign Relations Committee, Pekala on March 21 said that as ambassador he would work to help American business expand in Latvia; continue Latvia’s engagement with other countries such as Moldova and Afghanistan; and foster dialogue between ethnic Latvians and minorities in the country.
Among issues Pekala noted in his testimony was Latvia’s history and the recent national referendum that, if successful, would have made Russian a second official language.
“Almost a third of Latvia’s residents are ethnic Russians, of whom just under 300,000 are non-citizens,” Pekala said, according to his prepared statement. “We are encouraged to see the Latvian government considering measures that would improve integration of this population; we hope that the recent language referendum can be used by both sides as a means to open a constructive dialog between ethnic Russians and ethnic Latvians.”
Pekala and his wife, Maria, have two young daughters.
Garber became the U.S. ambassador to Latvia in 2009.
© 1995-2024 Latvians Online
Please contact us for editorial queries, or for permission to republish material. Disclaimer: The content of Web sites to which Latvians Online provides links does not necessarily reflect the opinion of Latvians Online, its staff or its sponsors.
The following is a direct quote from Pekala’s testimony before the US Senate: “Although Latvia has made tremendous strides in democracy and rule of law, it is still struggling to come to terms with some aspects of its past, particularly the legacies of World War II and Soviet rule. Latvia has work to do to promote social integration of its minority populations. Almost a third of Latvia’s residents are ethnic Russians, of whom just under 300,000 are non-citizens. We are encouraged to see the Latvian Government considering measures that would improve integration of this population; we hope that the recent language referendum can be used by both sides as a means to open a constructive dialog between ethnic Russians and ethnic Latvians. If confirmed, I hope to use my position as ambassador to support outreach efforts to all minority communities in Latvia.” I hope that Pekala learns more about the underlying facts and issues before he adopts the Russian propaganda regarding integration of minorities.
Vinde, Maybe he can get RT banned / closed down… since that channel is a non-stop propoganda outlet fed and funded by moscow searching for every piece / avenue it can find to persecute Latvia for standing up against it… even today
Either this person is ill informed about Latvia’s history or Russian propogandists have already explained the “real story”. Sounds like he plans to meddle in Latvia’s internal affairs with his mind made up as to what is what here. His comments in his confirmation hearing shows total lack of historical knowledge and presumptive conclusions.
I’m thinking Pekala is a diplomat and was saying before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee the politically correct thing concerning the existing issue of minorities in Latvia. It might be a mistake to take him literally at this point: i.e. that he’s going to “meddle” in Latvian affairs. The past Saeime election and Zatler’s waffling re Harmony Center, for sure, makes it clear that Latvians are going to have to continue to be vigilant and safe-guard national concerns, while faced with a political dichotomy that calls for some sort of innovative give and take. I’m hope to see him progress with economic ties between the US and Latvia. He seems experienced in the field, which is more than what can be said for past ambassadors. What I’d really appreciate is to hear from Estonia their take on how effectual he was as a liaison with them in the past.