| Kārlis Reinholds Zariņš | |
| Office: | Chief of the Latvian diplomatic service |
| Term Start: | 17 May 1940 |
| Term End: | 29 April 1963 |
| Predecessor: | Position established (Vilhelms Munters as Minister of Foreign Affairs) |
| Successor: | Arnolds Spekke |
| Office1: | Consul-General of Latvia to the United Kingdom |
| Birth Date: | 4 December 1879 |
| Birth Place: | Ipiķi Parish, Governorate of Livonia, Russian Empire (now Latvia) |
| Death Place: | London, United Kingdom |
Kārlis Reinholds Zariņš (born 4 December 1879 – 29 April 1963),[1] also Anglicised as Charles Zarine, was envoy and consul general of Latvia in the United Kingdom. Shortly before the Soviet occupation of Latvia, on 17 May 1940 the Latvian cabinet of ministers granted Zariņš extraordinary powers. He was delegated to supervise the work of Latvia's representations abroad in time of war or other extraordinary circumstance. He served this role starting from the Soviet occupation in 1940 until his death in 1963. Since then, Arnolds Spekke and later Anatols Dinbergs represented Latvia as chargé d'affaires until restoration of independence in 1991.[2]
Zariņš was authorized to:
However, he never received an official order to use his powers. He only received a telegram from minister of foreign affairs Vilhelms Munters on 17 June 1940 stating: "Soviet troops are entering the country and taking control over the main institutions."[3]