Latvia's newly elected president takes office

Newly-elected Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics has taken office as head of state.

He took the presidential oath of allegiance to Latvia at an extraordinary session of the Saeima (parliament) on Saturday, TASS reported.

"I swear that all my work will be dedicated to the good of the Latvian people. I will observe and respect the constitution and laws of Latvia. I will treat everyone fairly and carry out my duties according to my conscience," he read out the text.

Rinkevics, 49, graduated from the Department of History and Philosophy of the University of Latvia and the National Resources Strategy College of the US National Defense University. After several years as a journalist, he joined the civil service. From 1995 he served at the Latvian Foreign Ministry, then as head of the presidential office, and in 2011 he became head of the Foreign Ministry.

Rinkevics has consistently taken an anti-Russian stance.