Jan Lipavský

Jan Lipavský
Lipavský in 2022
Minister of Foreign Affairs
Assumed office
17 December 2021
Prime MinisterPetr Fiala
Preceded byJakub Kulhánek
Member of the Chamber of Deputies
In office
21 October 2017 – 21 October 2021
Personal details
Born (1985-07-02) 2 July 1985 (age 38)
Prague, Czechoslovakia
(now Czech Republic)
Political partyCzech Pirate Party
Alma materCharles University
Awards Ukrainian Order of Merit (2022)
Websitepirati.cz

Jan Lipavský (born 2 July 1985) is a Czech politician and IT manager, who has served as Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic since December 2021, in the Cabinet of Petr Fiala. A member of the Czech Pirate Party, he was previously a member of the Chamber of Deputies from October 2017 to October 2021.

Early life

Lipavský was born in Prague on 2 July 1985. He majored in international area studies at the Faculty of Social Sciences, Charles University in Prague, graduating with a Bachelor's degree. He joined the Erasmus Programme for two semesters at the University of Kent, United Kingdom.

Political career

Lipavský with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in April 2022

Lipavský served as a member of the Chamber of Deputies from 2017 to 2021. Following the 2021 Czech legislative election, he was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs in Petr Fiala's Cabinet. President Miloš Zeman expressed his opposition to the appointment of Lipavský as foreign minister.[1][2]

During the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Lipavský was a strong and vocal supporter of Ukraine, describing Russia as a terrorist state and preparing a new security strategy for the Czech Republic focusing on threats from Russia and China.[3][4]

On 10 October 2023, Lipavský was the first foreign politician to visit Israel after the Hamas attack on that country. He met with the President Isaac Herzog and Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs Eli Cohen to express the Czech Republic's full support for Israel and offer aid.[5]

Honours

References

  1. ^ "Vládu v pátek prezident Zeman jmenuje i s Janem Lipavským, oznámil Fiala". ct24.ceskatelevize.cz. Czech News Agency. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
  2. ^ Rambousková, Michaela. "Překvapení: Zeman jmenuje vládu i s Lipavským, oznámil Fiala". seznamzpravy.cz. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
  3. ^ "Lavrov is a clown, and Russia a terrorist – Czech Foreign Minister". Ukrainska Pravda. Retrieved 11 October 2023.
  4. ^ "Minister Lipavský submitted to the Cabinet a new Security Strategy and a proposal to add more persons to the national sanctions list". Czech Foreign Ministry. Retrieved 11 October 2023.
  5. ^ Anna, Fodor (11 October 2023). "Czech minister first foreign official to visit Israel in wake of attacks". Radio Prague International. Retrieved 11 October 2023.
  6. ^ "Ministr Lipavský obdržel ukrajinský Řád Za zásluhy. Česko je a bude s Ukrajinou, dokud nezvítězí, slíbil". forum24.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 2022-08-31.

External links