Parliament member of the Estonian delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
What was the position of Eerik-Niiles Kross from Jun 2015 to Aug 2018?
Eerik-Niiles Kross Eerik-Niiles Kross ( born 8 September 1967 ) is an Estonian politician , diplomat , former chief of intelligence and entrepreneur . He is a member of parliament ( Riigikogu ) . During the 1980s , Kross was a prominent figure in the anti-Soviet non-violent resistance movement in Soviet-occupied Estonia . After re-independence , in 1991 , he joined Estonias Foreign Ministry . He served as the head of intelligence from 1995 to 2000 ; and as national security advisor to former President Lennart Meri in 2000 and 2001 . Kross represented Estonia as a diplomat in the UK , from 1990 to 1992 ; then in the US from 1992 to 1995 . Internationally , Kross is best known as a security expert , having worked in Iraq as a Senior Director of the Coalition Provisional Authority being responsible for creating the new Iraqi Ministry of Defense and Military Intelligence . He was an advisor to the Government of Georgia during and after its war with Russia in 2008 . He coordinated the Georgian information campaign . As an observer of foreign affairs , Kross has published more than a 100 articles on Russian foreign policy , NATO and Estonian-Russian relations . Kross is a well known critic of the Russian foreign policy and the Russian head of state , Vladimir Putin . In 2011 , Russian authorities accused him of masterminding the 2009 hijacking of the MV Arctic Sea off the coast of Sweden . The Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee in Estonia , rejected this accusation as a fabrication by Russias FSB . Kross joined the moderate-conservative IRL in November 2011 , and was elected to the Party Executive . He served on the Advisory Board to the Ministry of Defense . In October 2014 Kross left the IRL and joined the liberal democratic Estonian Reform Party . At the Parliamentary Elections of 2015 he ran at the Reform Party ticket in the Tallinn 3rd district and won a seat in Parliament after the MEP Urmas Paet did not accept his mandate. [ 26 ] Kross has published several books and written scripts for documentary films . He wrote the script for the 2006 documentary , The Blue Hills ( Sinimäed ) , which received the Estonian Cultural Foundations Film of the Year Award ; also , special mention at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival . Education . Kross graduated Tartu University in 1991 majoring in history . He also studied at the University of Hamburg , Germany . In 1993 , Kross received an MA in History ( Political and Social Change in Europe ) at the University of London , United Kingdom ( School of Slavonic and East European Studies ) . In 2000-2003 Kross studied at the Institute of Law of the Tartu University . Activities in independence movement of Estonia . In Soviet occupied Estonia Kross was actively involved in the independence movement . In April 1988 , he was one of three-member group ( along with Margus Kasterpalu and Tiit Pruuli ) that brought out the banned national flag ( blue-black-white ) . In June 1988 , Kross was one of organizers of the First Youth Forum gathering all pro-independence youth organizations of the country . Kross was also one of ideologues of re-establishing of Soviet-banned Estonian academic student organizations . On 1 December 1988 the Estonian Students Society ( EÜS ) was reestablished under his leadership . Kross was the first post-war chairman of Estonian Students Society . In 1990-91 Kross represented the Estonian independence movement in the United Kingdom running the so-called Estonian Information Bureau in London . Activities in foreign representations of Estonia . Eerik-Niiles Kross re-established the Estonian Embassy in the UK . He was the first representative ( chargé daffaires ) of the restored Republic of Estonia in London becoming the youngest representative of a foreign government in the history of the London Diplomatic Corps . In 1992 Kross worked as a minister-counselor at Estonian Mission to the UN in New York . In November 1992 , Kross took over the representation of Republic of Estonia in United States of America from Ambassador Ernst Jaakson , and was chargé daffaires of Estonian Republic until arrival of Ambassador Toomas Hendrik Ilves in summer of 1993 . During 1993–1995 , Kross worked at Estonian Embassy in Washington , DC as the Deputy Chief of Mission . Activities as Director of Security Coordination of Estonia . During 1995–2000 , Eerik-Niiles Kross was the Intelligence Coordinator of Government of Estonia . In 2000-2001 he was the National Security Adviser to the Estonian president Lennart Meri . Kross was responsible for the security parts of Estonias Membership Action Plan for Estonia to join NATO . In 2008 the President of Estonia awarded him the Order of the White Star III class for his contribution to joining NATO . Activities in foreign missions in Iraq and Georgia . In 2003-2004 Kross worked as Senior Director for Intelligence Institutions Development in the team of Paul Bremer , the Head of the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq . He was responsible for the establishment of the new Defense Ministry of Iraq and the military intelligence among other duties . Later Kross worked at the Defense Ministry of Iraq as a senior advisor . Since 2007 Kross has advised the Government of Georgia and President Mikheil Saakashvili in the field of foreign and media relations as well as security related issues . During the Russian-Georgian War in 2008 , Kross led the team of foreign advisors of Georgian government in the field of media and information operations . Bronze Soldier . In 2007 , during the Bronze Soldier controversy Kross was a member of the Estonian Governments War Graves Commission . He was appointed by the Defense Minister Jürgen Ligi . The commission had 6 members , each of the members had been appointed by a Government minister . The commission gave the recommendation to the Government to remove a Soviet War Monument ( Bronze Soldier ) from central Tallinn to a military cemetery . The monument was removed in late April . The so-called Bronze Night riots of the Russian-speaking youth occurred as a reaction . INTERPOL red notice . On 18 October 2013 , on request by the Russian Federation , The International Criminal Police Organization or INTERPOL published on its website a wanted request for Kross on charges of organizing piracy , related to the hijacking of the Finnish-owned MV Arctic Sea in the Baltic in 2009 . This happened two days before the Estonian local elections finale on 20 October 2013 . Kross ran as a candidate for mayor for the capital city Tallinn . The closeness of the events led to claims by Estonian officials of a Russian effort to sabotage the elections . On 22 October the Minister of Interior of Estonia Ken-Marti Vaher said that Estonia will protest the Russian request and will point out to Interpol that it is in violation of Interpol Constitution to mediate politically motivated cases . James Kirchik , a Washington-based analyst commented on the incident in EU Observer : Such low tactics are characteristic of Russian interference in its sphere of privileged interests , that is , the independent countries of the former Soviet space which the Kremlin considers to be its imperial playground . Political activity . During the Parliamentary elections of 2011 , Kross ran for the seat in Parliament in the list of Estonian Greens candidates as number one in Pärnumaa , and number two in all-state list of the party . He received 3579 votes – the biggest number of votes in the entire list of Estonian Greens candidates - 8,8% of all votes in his electoral district , but did not make it to the Parliament . On 5 December 2011 Kross joined the liberal conservative Pro Patria and Res Publica Union ( IRL ) . In January 2012 the IRL Congress elected Kross to the Executive Board of the party . He is also a member of the IRL Tallinn region board and IRL Assembly . At the local elections of 2013 Kross was the mayors candidate for the capital Tallinn for IRL . He ran an aggressive campaign and raised the popularity of IRL in the capital from 5% in May to 20% in October . Kross received 6897 votes - the biggest number of votes for a newcomer at local elections in Estonian history - 26.4% of all votes in his electoral district . Edgar Savisaars Center Party won the elections , Kross became a member of the City Council and the leader of the opposition in Tallinn . In October 2014 Kross left the IRL and joined the liberal democratic Estonian Reform Party . At the Parliamentary Elections of 2015 he ran at the Reform Party ticket in the Tallinn 3rd district and won a seat in Parliament after the MEP Urmas Paet did not accept his mandate . In addition to his role in parliament , Kross has been serving as member of the Estonian delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe since 2015 . As member of the Estonian Reform Party , he is part of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe group . He is currently a member of the Committee on the Honouring of Obligations and Commitments by Member States of the Council of Europe ( Monitoring Committee ) and the Committee on Migration , Refugees and Displaced Persons . He was also a member of a cross-party delegation to observe the 2017 presidential elections in Serbia . Other activities . In 2007 it was reported that Kross and his business partner Heiti Hääl had purchased the remains of the Baltic Exchange building from the UK and wished to re-erect the historical building in Tallinn , Estonia . They planned to deliver the building from London in parts . It was later reported the National Heritage Board of Estonia did not approve the planned location near Tallinn Old Town . Kross is one of the founders of the Estonian Reserve Officers association and currently a member of the Court of Honor of the Estonian Reserve Officers Association . In 2011 the Estonian media reported that Kross is reconstructing Kõue Manor , a national heritage site near Tallinn . The manor was first mentioned in 1379 and was once owned by the world-famous explorer Otto von Kotzebue . Kross is planning to open an Arts Center in the manor . The Estonian Chamber of Commerce and Industry awarded Kross consultancy company Trustcorp The Most Competitive Service Enterprise 2012 award in October 2012 . On 11 November 2012 Kross was elected the President of the Estonian Judo Association . Personal facts . Eerik-Niiles Kross is a son of Estonian writers Jaan Kross and Ellen Niit . Maarja Undusk , a sister of Eerik–Niiles Kross is an artist , and brother Märten Kross is a real estate developer , film producer and photographer . His half-sister Kristiina Ross is a linguist and translator , and half-brother Toomas Niit is a psychologist . Kross is married to the American film-maker and environmentalist Mary Jordan . Bibliography . - Estonians ! / Photography : Jüri Soomägi ; Text Eerik-Niiles Kross . Göteborg : Ekstrand & Blennow AB , 1989 . - Eerik-Niiles Kross . Pro Patria . II . Auraamat langenud ja hukkunud metsavendadele 1944-1978 Okupatsioonide Repressiivpoliitika Uurimise Riiklik Komisjon . Tartu 1998 . - Eerik-Niiles Kross . Vabaduse väravad : valik tekste 1988–2006 . ( Selected essays ) Tartu : Ilmamaa , 2007 . 422 pages . - Nation building and the idea of Iraq , Diplomaatia , March/April 2005 . - Lisbon NATO Summit and Russia : Crown Jewels for Chicken Feed ? Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume : 7 Issue : 211 , 19 November 2010 - Kross . Üksikud head mehed . Kaur Kender , Jaan Kross , Eerik-Niiles Kross . Tallinn 2011 . - Putin’s war of smoke and mirrors Politico , 4 September 2016 External links . - Alternative Institutional Models for Crisis Management and Civil-Military Cooperation : Estonia . Eerik-Niiles Kross , National Security Coordinator . In : International Conference on National Crisis Management in an International Perspective , Stockholm 1998 - Former Estonian head of secret service : Cold War goes on . Euronews Interview . 7 November 2014 - Kross : Estonia is not threatened by masses of islamists , but by total provincialization . Up-North Magazine . 11 June 2015 - Kau Mano