Sergey Lavrov

Infobox President
name = Sergey Lavrov

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|Sergey Lavrov, 2007
imagesize = 185px
order = Foreign Minister of Russia
primeminister =Vladimir Putin
vicepresident =
term_start = March 9, 2004
term_end =
predecessor = Igor Ivanov
successor =
birth_date = birth date and age|1950|3|21
birth_place = Moscow, Soviet Union
spouse =
party =

Sergey Viktorovich Lavrov ( _ru. Сергей Викторович Лавров, born March 21, 1950, in Moscow) is the Foreign Minister of Russia.

He is Armenian-Russian; his father was an Armenian from Tbilisi [ cite_news| url=http://www.armenianow.com/archive/2005/eng/?go=print&id=554|title=From Russia With Love?: Foreign Minister’s visit an opportunity for assessment|coauthors=Aris Ghazinyan| publisher=ArmeniaNow] .

Lavrov speaks Russian, English, French and Sinhala [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/7144560.stm Russia's deep suspicion of the West] , "He speaks beautiful English, French, and according to his biography, Sinhalese, which he learned while posted to Sri Lanka in the 1970s."] , which he learned while in Sri Lanka.

Russia-Sri Lanka diplomacy

Lavrov graduated from the Moscow State Institute of International Relations in 1972. He was sent as a Soviet diplomat to Sri Lanka, where he worked until 1976. He then returned to Moscow and worked in the Department of International Organizations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. [ [http://www.ln.mid.ru/bl.nsf/062c2f5f5fa065d4c3256def0051fa1e/d2da2ea4fd6ac214c3256e530042edfd?OpenDocument Biography of Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Sergey Viktorovich Lavrov] ]

Ambassador to the United Nations

In 1981, he was sent as a senior adviser to the Soviet mission at the United Nations in New York City, and worked there until 1988. He worked for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs until 1994, when he returned to work in the United Nations, this time as the Permanent Representative of Russia. While in the latter position, he was President of the United Nations Security Council in December 1995, June 1997, July 1998, October 1999, [ [http://www.un.org/Depts/dhl/resguide/scpres1990.htm "Presidents of the Security Council : 1990-1999"] , UN.org.] December 2000, April 2002, and June 2003. [ [http://www.un.org/Depts/dhl/resguide/scpres2000.htm "Presidents of the Security Council : 2000-"] , UN.org.]

Foreign Ministership

On March 9, 2004, President Vladimir Putin appointed Lavrov to the post of Minister for Foreign Affairs. He succeeded Igor Ivanov in the post.

Lavrov is regarded as continuing the style of his predecessor: a brilliant diplomat but a civil servant rather than a politician, Russia's foreign policy being largely determined by the President of the Russian Federation. Dr Bobo Lo, a Russian foreign policy expert at London's Chatham House has described him as "a tough, reliable, extremely sophisticated negotiator", but adding that "he's not part of Putin's inner sanctum" and that the toughening of Russian foreign policy has got very little to do with him. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6242774.stm Profile: Putin's foreign minister Lavrov] ]

Personal life

Mr. Lavrov is married and has a daughter. His hobbies include playing the guitar and writing songs and poetry. He is a keen sportsman, but also a heavy smoker. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6242774.stm Profile: Putin's foreign minister Lavrov] ]

Awards

In December 2006 Lavrov was named Person of the Year by Expert magazine, an influential weekly Russian business magazine.

References

External links

*en icon [http://www.ln.mid.ru/bl.nsf/0/d2da2ea4fd6ac214c3256e530042edfd?OpenDocument Biography of Lavrov on the Department of Foreign Affairs site]
*ru icon [http://www.mid.ru Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia]
*ru icon [http://www.mgimo.ru Moscow State Institute of International Relations]