LAVROV, SERGEY VIKTOROVICH

(1950– )

Diplomat. Born inMoscowto anArmenian-Russian family, he studied at the prestigious Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO) before being sent to Sri Lanka as a diplomat in the 1970s. When he returned from abroad, he was posted to the Department of International Organizations within the Soviet Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In 1994, Lavrov was appointed Russia’s representative to theUnited Nations(UN), where he served as president of the UN Security Council on several occasions. He took a strong stance against the war in Iraq and the situation inKosovoduring his tenure.Vladimir Putintapped him to replaceIgor Ivanovas foreign minister on 9 March 2004. During the second Putin administration, Lavrov was tasked with managing Russia’s more aggressive posture inforeign relations, including disputes withUkraineovernatural gas, the militarization of Russia’sArctic Oceanbasin,espionage-related complications withGreat Britain, and the 2008South Ossetian WaragainstGeorgia. In 2009, he met with American PresidentBarackObama’s secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, in order to help “reset” theUnited States–Russia relationship afterGeorge W. Bush’s presidency. Unfortunately, the “reset button” gift that was presented to him as a gimmick, stated “overcharge” (peregruzkainstead ofperezagruzka), thus leading to embarrassment on the part of the American diplomats, whose lack of knowledge of theRussian languagebecame immediately apparent. Lavrov is not considered to be particularly close to Putin or his successor,Dmitry Medvyedev, but is recognized as a tough negotiator and an effective bureaucrat with a keen intellect.

See alsoMiddle East.