Vasil Tupurkovski

Vasil Tupurkovski (Macedonian Cyrillic: Васил Тупурковски) is a Мacedonian politician and was born on April 8, 1951 in Skopje, SR Macedonia, Yugoslavia. He attended his primary and secondary education in Skopje, whilst the final year of his high school education was completed in the USA, where he had a study stay in Detroit, through the exchange programme "Youth for Understanding".Tupurkovski graduated legal studies at the Faculty of Law at the University of Ss. Ciryl and Methodius in Skopje in 1972, at the age of 21.

Postgraduated studies at the Faculty of Law at the Michigan State University, USA, he graduated in 1973, and made an opposition on the thesis "The European Human Rights Convention and the Case of the Military Dictatorship in Greece".Professor Tupurkovski started his career at the Faculty of Law in Skopje in 1974 when he was elected as assistant of International Public Law.

He earned his Ph.D. at the same faculty in 1976, with the doctoral thesis titled "The Legal aspects of peace keeping within the frames of the UN".

In 1977 he was elected as Assistant Professor of International Public Law at the Faculty of Law in Skopje.

In the mandate period 1981 - 1982 he executed the function of Vice-Dean of the Faculty. Within the same period he founded and chaired the Postgraduate studies of International Law and International Relations at the Faculty of Law in Skopje.

In the year 1982 he was elected as Associate Professor of International Public Law.

As of 1988 he is Professor of International Public Law.

Is the author of a long list of scientific papers in the Republic of Macedonia and abroad, was the co-author of the textbook International Public Law, for the needs of the students of the Faculty of Law in Skopje.

Tupurkovski is the author of several special editions, among which "United Nations and World Peace", for a longer period of time he studied the history of the ancient Macedonian state, and wrote and published the "History of Ancient Macedonia" in four books: History of Macedonia till the death of Alexander the Great of Macedon; History of Macedonia from the death of Alexander the Great of Macedon till the Roman Wars; Filip the Second and Alexander the Great of Macedon. He also published children's editions of the History of Ancient Macedonia.

At a professional level, he is member of the International Association for International Law, as well as the Association World Peace through Law, and held lectures in over 40 states through-out the world.

Throughout the years he was widely active in the political life of the country. Was the President of the Union of Socialist Youth of Yugoslavia, member of the Presidium of the Communist Union of Yugoslavia, as well as member of the Presidium of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. After the fall of SFRY, performed the function of Special Envoy of the President of the Republic of Macedonia to the United States. In March 1998 established and lead the centrist political party Democratic Alternative (Демократска алтернатива) and made a coalition agreement with right wing VMRO-DPMNE, won the elections and formed the Government.

The period of the participation of DA in the government was marked with the recognition of the Republic of China on Taiwan by the Republic of Macedonia, and the negotiations and signing of the Stabilization and Association Agreement between the Republic of Macedonia and the European Communities and their Member States, the contractual instrument that lead the country to further development of the relations with the EU and the eventual awarding of the Candidate-country status.

During the period 1999-2000 was Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for European Integration and National Coordinator for Foreign Aid, and Chief Negotiator for the Stabilization and Association Agreement. In December 2000 all the ministers of DA resigned from the government due to political and ideological reasons and mainly for the purpose of keeping the promise given to the voters at the 1998 elections.

He is also very active in the sports life and in other fields. Was the President of the Basketball Union of Macedonia and Yugoslavia. Currently he holds the office President of the Macedonian Olympic Committee, and for some years was the President of the Association of the National Olympic Committees of the Balkan Countries. At the Faculty of Law in Skopje he holds the office Chairperson of the International Public Law Institute.

For his work he was awarded and presented with several recognitions.

On December 5, 2007 the Macedonian Ministry of Interior announced that the Macedonian Public Prosecutor has brought up charges against Vasil Tupurkovski for money embezzlement during the Taiwan project. [http://www.a1.com.mk/vesti/default.asp?VestID=86988]

However, these charges are a result of the inefficiency and politicization of the judiciary influenced by the ethical decay of the overall governing structures. There are notorious facts that the (governmental) Agency for Reconstruction and Development while managed by Tupurkovski wasn’t in charge of any distribution of the Taiwanese money, nor of their reimbursement, that was, as usually everywhere in the business world and also in Macedonia still is, arrangements of the commercial banks. The banks were to provide means of guarantees that the loans from the Taiwan project will be paid back from the borrowers. The Agency and Tupurkovski have been in charge of negotiations about and establishing that international project as an agreement between Macedonia and Taiwan, and Tupurkovski’s mandate as the Agency head didn’t coincide with the actual money disbursements. He resigned since the project was obstructed and failed by international and internal political reasons.Tupurkovski found as suitable to publish a book named “The truth about Taiwan” (2002) where he has explained the events related to the project and refused to accept any responsibility for himself and the Agency at the time under his leadership, because of non existing wrongdoing. [http://www.a1.com.mk/vesti/default.asp?VestID=87052]