Teodor Meleșcanu

Teodor Meleșcanu
Minister of Foreign Affairs
Assumed office
4 January 2017
Prime Minister Sorin Grindeanu
Mihai Tudose
Preceded by Lazăr Comănescu
In office
10 November 2014  24 November 2014
Prime Minister Victor Ponta
Preceded by Titus Corlățean
Succeeded by Bogdan Aurescu
In office
19 November 1992  11 December 1996
Prime Minister Nicolae Văcăroiu
Preceded by Adrian Năstase
Succeeded by Adrian Severin
Director of the Foreign Intelligence Service
In office
28 February 2012  22 September 2014
Preceded by Mihai Răzvan Ungureanu
Succeeded by Silviu Predoiu (Acting)
Minister of Justice
Acting
In office
15 January 2008  29 February 2008
Prime Minister Călin Popescu-Tăriceanu
Preceded by Tudor Chiuariu
Succeeded by Cătălin Predoiu
Minister of Defence
In office
5 April 2007  22 December 2008
Prime Minister Călin Popescu-Tăriceanu
Preceded by Sorin Frunzăverde
Succeeded by Mihai Stănișoară
Personal details
Born Teodor Viorel Meleșcanu
(1941-03-10) 10 March 1941
Brad, Romania
Political party Social Democratic Party (Before 1997)
Alliance for Romania (1997–2001)
National Liberal Party (2001–2012)
Independent (2012–present)
Spouse(s) Felicia Meleșcanu
Children 1 daughter
Education University of Bucharest
University of Geneva
Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies

Teodor Viorel Meleșcanu (Romanian pronunciation: [teˈodor meleʃˈkanu]; born 10 March 1941) is a Romanian politician, diplomat and jurist. He served as Director of the Foreign Intelligence Service of Romania (SIE) between 2012 and 2014. He was a three times senator for the National Liberal Party (PNL), Minister of Defense between 2007 and 2008, and Minister of Foreign Affairs between 1992 and 1996, in November 2014 and since January 2017. He was married to Felicia Meleșcanu, a jurist and Romanian Television journalist, until her death in January 2004. On February 27, 2012, upon his appointment as head of the SIE, he suspended himself from PNL and was later expelled from the party.

Life and career

Robert Gates, the United States Defense Secretary (right) escorts Teodor Meleșcanu through an honor cordon into the Pentagon, to talk about bilateral defense issues (September 24, 2008)

Born in Brad, Hunedoara County, he was baptized in the town's Romanian Orthodox church. Around the age of five, he left for Buteni, his grandparents' village, located near the Crișul Alb River. Meleșcanu then studied at Moise Nicoară National College in Arad.[1] He graduated from the Faculty of Law of the University of Bucharest in 1964 and the Faculty of Economic and Social Sciences of the University of Geneva in 1968. In 1973, he obtained a doctorate in political science and international law from the University of Geneva and the Graduate Institute of International Studies.

Between 1966 and 1990 he held various diplomatic functions in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In August 1990 he was named undersecretary of state in this ministry. Between November 1992 and November 1996 he was the Minister of Foreign Affairs in Nicolae Văcăroiu's Party of Social Democracy (PDSR) government. In 1996 he campaigned as an independent for election to the Senate from the Prahova County electoral district. He was elected to that body, becoming president of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Senate of Romania in the 1996-2000 legislature.

In 1997, Meleșcanu founded the Alliance for Romania (Alianța pentru România) party, together with several former members of the PDSR (Mircea Coșea, Iosif Boda, and others). He was elected president of this party in December 1997 and re-elected in March 2001. In January 2002, in the wake of the Alliance for Romania's merger with the PNL, Meleșcanu became first vice-president of the latter party. Since 2004, he has been a Liberal senator for Prahova, also being a vice-president in the Permanent Bureau of the Senate.

He is a professor at the Faculty of Political Sciences of the University of Bucharest, and has written a substantial number of works and scientific publications dealing with international law and diplomacy. On February 27, President Traian Băsescu appointed him for the SIE position vacant after the former director Mihai Răzvan Ungureanu's ascension to the post of Prime Minister.

In 2013 he was awarded Commander's Cross with Star of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland.[2]

In November 2014, following the resignation of Titus Corlățean as a result of problems with voting in the Romanian diaspora during the first round of that year's presidential election, Meleșcanu was appointed foreign minister. He resigned eight days later, after similar problems took place during the second round.[3] After his resignition he joint the advisory board of the Ponta Chancellery regarding security and defense affairs. After Ponta was replaced by Dacian Cioloș, he was dismissed and joined ALDE.[4]

Meleșcanu is a Member of the Advisory Board of the Global Panel Foundation, based in Berlin, Copenhagen, Prague, Sydney and Toronto, which works in conflict areas around the world.

See also

Notes

  1. (in Romanian) "Teodor Meleșcanu, de la grădinița din Brad în fruntea SIE", Glasul Hunedoarei, June 3, 2013
  2. Postanowienie Prezydenta Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej z dnia 30 sierpnia 2013 r. o nadaniu orderów i odznaczenia (M.P. z 2013 r., poz. 949)
  3. "Teodor Meleşcanu demisionează din funcţia de ministru al Afacerilor Externe, la opt zile după ce a preluat portofoliul" (in Romanian). Mediafax. 24 November 2014.
  4. "Teodor Melescanu joins ALDE". Romania Journal. 6 January 2016.
Political offices
Preceded by
Adrian Năstase
Minister of Foreign Affairs
1992–1996
Succeeded by
Adrian Severin
Preceded by
Sorin Frunzăverde
Minister of Defence
2007–2008
Succeeded by
Mihai Stănișoară
Preceded by
Tudor Chiuariu
Minister of Justice
Acting

2008
Succeeded by
Cătălin Predoiu
Preceded by
Titus Corlățean
Minister of Foreign Affairs
2014
Succeeded by
Bogdan Aurescu
Preceded by
Lazăr Comănescu
Minister of Foreign Affairs
2017–present
Incumbent
Government offices
Preceded by
Mihai Răzvan Ungureanu
Director of the Foreign Intelligence Service
2012–2014
Succeeded by
Silviu Predoiu
Acting
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