MARKO MIHKELSON

Harju County and Rapla County electoral district

30 November 1969 in Valga
In a relationship, one daughter

Education: Valga Gymnasium (former Secondary School No. 1) 1988; University of Tartu, history 1993, M.A. in history 1999

Career: newspaper Postimees, world news editor 1993–1994, Moscow correspondent 1994–1997, Editor-in-Chief 1997–2000; Baltic Centre for Russian Studies, Director 2000–2003

Party affiliation: Res Publica/Pro Patria and Res Publica Union 2001–2017

Membership in representative bodies: 10^th Riigikogu (Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee 2003–2005, Deputy Chairman 2005–2007), 11^th Riigikogu (Chairman of the European Union Affairs Committee), 12^th Riigikogu (Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee), 13^th Riigikogu (Chairman of the National Defence Committee 2015–2016, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee 2016–); Valga City Council 2002–2003; elected to Viimsi Rural Municipality Council in 2005–2013

Awards: Order of the White Star, 4^th class 2006; Commander of the Order of Infante Dom Henrique of the Republic of Portugal 2003; Grand Officer of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Italy 2004; Grand Cross of the Commander of the Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas 2004; Knight of the National Order of Merit of France 2005; Officer’s Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland 2009; Commander 1^st Class of the Order of the Polar Star of the Kingdom of Sweden 2011; Order of Merit of the Republic of Malta 2012; Order of the Three Stars of Latvia, 3^rd class 2012; Commander of the Order of the Lion of Finland 2014; Officer’s Cross of the National Order of Merit of France 2016
Golden Award of the Estonian Ministry of Defence 2004; Estonian Ministry of Defence Cross of Merit, 2nd Class 2016

Other activities: NATO Parliamentary Assembly, Sub-Committee on Transatlantic Defence and Security Co-operation, Vice-Chairman; Estonian Atlantic Treaty Association, Chairman of the Council; NATO Parliamentary Assembly, Head of Estonian Delegation 2017–; International Centre for Defence Studies, Member of the Supervisory Board; Estonian Foreign Policy Institute, Member of the Supervisory Board; Tallinn Rotary Club; reserve officer; book “Venemaa. Valguses ja varjus” (“Russia. Light and Shadows”) 2010; articles on politics in the Estonian and international press; co-author of school textbooks on recent history 2000, 2003, and on social studies 2013

Hobbies: golf, tennis

04.07.2017