His Excellency Mr Raimonds Vējonis is the current President of the Republic Latvia. He assumed office on 8 July 2015 and is a member of the Latvian Green Party. He previously served as the Minister of Defense (2014-2015), the Minister of the Environment (2002-2011) and was a member of the Parliament of the Republic of Latvia (2011-2014). He also worked as the European Union Associated States Environmental Legislation Control and Implementation Branch National Coordinator (1998-2002), and was the Director of Lielrīgas Regional Environmental board (1996-2002). Raimonds Vējonis has been awarded the Order of Three Stars (second grade) for his distinguished career in public service. He holds a Masters Degree in Biology from the University of Latvia.