Eduard Aghvani Nalbandian[a] (Armenian: Էդվարդ Աղվանի Նալբանդյան; born July 16, 1956) is an Armenian former diplomat who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia from April 2008 to May 2018.[1][2] He is currently a professor at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations.
Edward Nalbandian | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 7th Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia | |
| In office 14 April 2008 – 12 May 2018 | |
| President | Serzh Sargsyan Armen Sarkissian |
| Prime Minister | Tigran Sargsyan Hovik Abrahamyan Karen Karapetyan Serzh Sargsyan Nikol Pashinyan |
| Preceded by | Vartan Oskanian |
| Succeeded by | Zohrab Mnatsakanyan |
| President of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe | |
| In office 16 May 2013 – 14 November 2013 | |
| Preceded by | Gilbert Saboya Sunyé |
| Succeeded by | Michael Spindelegger |
| Ambassador of Armenia to France | |
| In office 1999 – April 2008 | |
| 1st Ambassador of Armenia to Egypt | |
| In office 1994–1999 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 16 July 1956 Yerevan, Armenian SSR, Soviet Union |
| Political party | Independent |
| Alma mater | Moscow State Institute of International Relations |
Biography
editEdward Nalbandian was born in 1956 in Yerevan, Armenian SSR. At the age of 22 he graduated from Moscow State Institute of International Relations. In 1988 he received his Ph.D. in political science from the Institute of Oriental Studies of the USSR National Academy of Sciences.[3] Nalbandian speaks Armenian, French, English, Russian and Arabic. He is married and has a daughter.
Diplomatic career
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Nalbandian started his diplomatic career in 1978. After obtaining his doctorate degree in political science, Nalbandian was sent first to Lebanon as a diplomat and then, in 1986, appointed First Secretary of the USSR Embassy in Egypt. In 1982, Nalbandian was the youngest diplomat in the Soviet Union to be awarded the highest diplomatic medal for his service, the Peoples Friendship Medal, the USSR's third highest honor.[4] When Armenia became independent, Nalbandian was invited to become Armenia's representative in Egypt. Thus, in 1992 Edward Nalbandian joined the diplomatic service of newly independent Armenia as Chargé d'Affaires and later in 1994 as Ambassador of Armenia to Egypt. From Cairo he was also accredited as Armenia's Ambassador to Morocco and Oman.[citation needed] By October 1992, Nalbandian had established an embassy in Cairo–one of the first embassies Armenia opened.
In 1999 Nalbandian was appointed as Ambassador to France, where he served for almost a decade. This period marked the flourishing of Armenian-French interstate relations, marked notably by the state visits of the Presidents and the Year of Armenia in France.[5] Edward Nalbandian also served as non-resident Ambassador to Israel, the Vatican and Andorra,[6] and he was personal representative of the President of Armenia to the International organization of La Francophonie from 2006–2008.[7] Edward Nalbandian represented Armenia in several dozens of international conferences and summits.[8]
After Serzh Sargsyan took office as president, he appointed Nalbandian as Foreign Minister from April 14, 2008, till May 2018.[9][10]
After leaving office, Nalbandian became a professor at the Department for Diplomatic Studies at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations.[11]
Honors, Honorary titles and awards
editEdward Nalbandian has received a number of awards,[12] among them:
- 1982 – The USSR award of Friendship of Nations
- 2001 – Commander of the Legion of Honor of the French Republic
- 2001 – Armenian Medal of Mkhitar Gosh for significant services in the sphere of diplomacy
- 2003 – Saint Gregory's Grand Cross Order of Holy See
- 2011 – Grand Officier de la Légion d'honneur
- 2012 – 2nd degree medal “For Services Contributed to the Motherland”
- 2014 – Honorary Doctorate degree of the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO) for his contribution to strengthening international security, and his ongoing contribution to Russia-Armenia relations.[13][14][15]
- 2015 – La Grande Médaille de la Ville de Paris
- 2015 – 1st degree medal “For Services Contributed to the Motherland”, Armenia
- 2016 – Gold Medal of the Human Rights League of Spain
- 2016 – "Order of Friendship" of the Russian Federation
- 2016 – Order Pro Merito Melitensi, The Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta[16]
- 2016 – Honorary Professor of Yerevan State University.[17]
- 2017 – Russian Order of Friendship awarded by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, for his great contribution to strengthening friendship and cooperation with Russia.[18]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Also Edvard or Edward
- ^ LLC, Helix Consulting. "Պատմական ակնարկ - Նախկին նախարարներ - Հայաստանի Հանրապետության Կառավարություն". www.gov.am. Retrieved 2018-11-23.
- ^ "History". www.mfa.am (in Armenian). Retrieved 2018-11-23.
- ^ "His Excellency Edward Nalbandian - Center for Middle Eastern Studies". Center for Middle Eastern Studies. 2016-09-17. Retrieved 2018-11-23.
- ^ "Հրազդանի համայնքապետարան". www.hrazdan.am. Retrieved 2018-11-23.
- ^ "Minister Edward Nalbandian". www.mfa.am (in Armenian). Retrieved 2018-11-23.
- ^ "Multi-vector foreign policy of Armenia | Departmental | Events". www.politics.ox.ac.uk. Retrieved 2018-11-23.
- ^ "Edward Nalbandian appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs". armenpress.am. Retrieved 2018-11-23.
- ^ ""Nagorno-Karabakh: Is a Solution Visible?" A Lecture by Minister Edward Nalbandian | Center for Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies". creees.stanford.edu. Retrieved 2018-11-23.
- ^ "New President Appoints Two Key Ministers" Archived 2008-04-16 at the Wayback Machine, ArmeniaNow.com, April 15, 2008.
- ^ "Sarkisian Appoints Key Ministers in Emerging Cabinet", Armenialiberty.org, April 15, 2008.
- ^ "Налбандян Эдвард Агванович". mgimo.ru. Retrieved 2023-03-26.
- ^ "His Excellency Edward Nalbandian - Center for Middle Eastern Studies". Center for Middle Eastern Studies. 2016-09-17. Retrieved 2018-11-23.
- ^ "MGIMO University, Moscow". ru-ru.facebook.com (in Russian). Retrieved 2018-11-23.
- ^ "Edward Nalbandian receives honorary doctorate degree from MGIMO". armenpress.am. Retrieved 2018-11-23.
- ^ "Edward Nalbandian to be awarded title of Honorary Doctor of MGIMO". mediamax.am. Retrieved 2018-11-23.
- ^ "MFA of Armenia🇦🇲 on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved 2018-11-23.
- ^ "The title of Honorary Professor of YSU was awarded to Edward Nalbandian". Hayern Aysor. 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2018-11-23.
- ^ "Press release on Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian's official visit to Russia". www.mid.ru. Retrieved 2018-11-23.
External links
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