09.06.2011

Ambassador Jüri Luik
Curriculum Vitae

Permanent Representative of Estonia

Jüri Luik

2007-

Mr. Jüri Luik (born August 17th, 1966) was appointed to the post of the Ambassador, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Estonia in the North Atlantic Council in the summer of 2007. He assumed the post after serving for four years as the Ambassador of Estonia to the United States co-accredited to Mexico and Canada.   
Mr. Luik has held a number of posts both as a cabinet-level politician and a professional diplomat. In the Estonian Government, he served as Minister of Foreign Affairs (1994-1995), twice as Minister of Defense (1993 and 1999-2002), and as Minister without Portfolio, Head of the Government Delegation for negotiations with Russia over the withdrawal of Russian troops (1992-1994). He was elected to the Estonian Parlament (Riigikogu, 7th Assembly) in 1992. 
Mr. Luik joined the diplomatic service in 1990 as a counsellor in the reopened Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He  has served, in addition to his current and previous diplomatic posting, as  the Ambassador of Estonia to the Benelux countries and NATO (1996-1999) and as  Director-General of the Political Department in the MFA (1992). In 1993 President of Estonia appointed  Jüri Luik to the rank of (Carieer) Ambassador.  Mr. Luik was educated at the University of Tartu (degree in journalism), he was a Visiting  Associate (postgraduate research) at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington, DC (1995-1996).
He is married to Ruth Lausma Luik and they have a son.