The Embassy of Latvia in Vienna

Guna Japiņa

Ambassador Guna Japiņa, born on 23 August 1974 in Rīga, Latvia, is a distinguished diplomat with a robust educational background and extensive professional experience. She obtained her Master's Degree in Law Science from the University of Latvia in 2000, following her earlier Bachelor's Degree in Law Science with a Lawyer Qualification from the same institution in 1996. Her commitment to professional development is evident through additional education programs such as the Peace Mediation & Crisis Diplomacy in Action course at the Foreign Service Academy, Germany, which she completed in August-September 2020, and the Security Policy Course at the Federal Academy for Security Policy, Germany, undertaken from January to June 2011.

Ambassador Japiņa's career in diplomacy spans several key roles, reflecting her expertise and leadership in international affairs. From 2016 to 2021, she served as Director of the Consular Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Latvia, where she managed crucial consular services and operations. Prior to this, she held significant positions including Counsellor and Deputy Head at the Embassy of the Republic of Latvia to the Federal Republic of Germany from August 2011 to August 2016, and Director of the European Union Coordination Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from June 2006 to December 2010.

Her earlier roles include serving as Head of the Permanent Representatives Committee I (COREPER I) Division and Head of the Internal Market Division within the European Union Co-ordination Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Latvia.

Ambassador Japiņa's career began with roles such as Acting Head of the European Union Economic Policy Division and Deputy-Head of the European Union Integration Division, underscoring her dedication to Latvia's integration and policy coordination within the European Union.

Ambassador Japiņa is fluent in Latvian, English, German, and Russian, enabling her to effectively engage in diplomatic discourse and negotiations across diverse cultural and linguistic contexts. Her contributions have been recognized with awards including the Commander of the Cross of Recognition (Third class) of the Republic of Latvia in 2020, along with Certificates of Recognition from both the Cabinet of Ministers and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Latvia in various years.