Alexander Bessmertnykh (politician)
Alexander Alexandrovich Bessmertnykh (Russian: Алекса́ндр Алекса́ндрович Бессме́ртных; born 10 November 1933)[2] is a Russian diplomat who briefly served as foreign minister of the Soviet Union.
Alexander Alexandrovich Bessmertnykh Алекса́ндр Алекса́ндрович Бессме́ртных | |
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Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Soviet Union | |
In office 15 January[1] – 28 August 1991 | |
Preceded by | Eduard Shevardnadze |
Succeeded by | Boris Pankin |
Personal details | |
Born | Biysk, Altai Krai, Soviet Union | 10 November 1933
Nationality | Soviet and Russian |
Political party | Communist Party of the Soviet Union |
Spouse(s) | Marina Vladimirovna |
Children | 2 |
Alma mater | Moscow State University |
Profession | Politics |
Early life
Bessmertnykh was born in Biisk in 1933,[2] first of four children. He lost his father when he was 10 years old.
Career
Bessmertnykh joined the ministry of foreign affairs in 1957. From 1970 to 1983 he served as a consul at the Soviet embassy in the United States, and then headed the US department in the foreign ministry.[2] In 1986, he was appointed deputy foreign minister and in 1988, he became first deputy foreign minister. From 1990 to 1991 he was ambassador to the United States.[2]
Soviet Foreign Minister
He briefly served as a Minister of Foreign Affairs of the USSR in 1991,[3] replacing Eduard Shevardnadze. During the August coup of 1991 he did not lend his support to the attempt at removing Gorbachev from power, but refused to condemn the plotters. Consequently, he was removed by Mikhail Gorbachev.
References
- БЕССМЕРТНЫХ Александр Александрович
- "Biographies" (PDF). The World Politics Forum. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 July 2014.
- Ambassador Alexander Bessmertnykh
External links
- MGIMO Alumni Association. Alexander Bessmertnykh profile (in Russian)
- GlobalZero.org. Biography of Alexander Bessmertnykh (in Russian)
- Биографические сведения на pseudology.org (in Russian)
- Appearances on C-SPAN
Political offices | ||
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Preceded by Eduard Shevardnadze |
Foreign Minister of the Soviet Union 1991 |
Succeeded by Boris Pankin |