Sergey Lavrov

Sergei Lavrov (Russian: Сергей Викторович Лавров, scientific transliteration Sergei Lavrov Viktorovič; born March 21, 1950 in Moscow ) is a Russian diplomat and since March 2004, the Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation.

Life

In 1972, Lavrov graduated from the Moscow State Institute of International Relations and was sent as a diplomat to the Soviet Union to the Embassy to Sri Lanka. From 1976 to 1981 Lavrov worked in the Department of International Organizations in the Soviet Foreign Ministry.

From 1981 to 1988, he was sent to the Delegation of the Permanent Mission of the Soviet Union at the United Nations in New York, where he held the positions of First Secretary, Counselor and second Counselor.

From 1988 to 1990 he was Deputy Head of the Department of International Economic Relations of the Soviet Foreign Ministry. From 1990 to 1992 he worked as director of the Department of International Organizations and Global Problems of the Russian Foreign Ministry.

From 1992 to 1994, Vice Foreign Minister Lavrov of Russia.

1994 returned Lavrov as a permanent representative of Russia to the UN back to New York.

Before the Russian presidential elections in 2004, Lavrov was removed in the course of formation of the Russian government from the post of ambassador to the United Nations and called on 9 March 2004 by Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister in the Cabinet of Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov. Lavrov was the successor to Igor Ivanov, who moved to the post of Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation.

Personal

Lavrov was born the son of an Armenian from Tbilisi and a Russian from Moscow. His mother was employed by the Ministry of Foreign Trade of the Soviet Union. Lavrov speaks Russian, English and French Sinhala, which he learned during his time in Sri Lanka. Lavrov composed the anthem of his former school of diplomacy, of the Moscow State Institute of International Relations.

Lavrov is married and has a daughter named Katya. His hobbies include rafting, writing poetry, singing, and playing soccer (his favorite team is Spartak Moscow). Lavrov Russian Orthodox faith and an honorary member of the Imperial Orthodox Palestinian Society, which organizes pilgrimages to the Holy Land and humanitarian works with the peoples of the Middle East.

Sergei Lavrov is passionate smoker. In autumn 2003, he protested against the decision of the then UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, who had the smoking ban at UN headquarters to the object.