Anatoliy Zlenko

Anatoliy Maksymovych Zlenko (Ukrainian: Анато́лій Макси́мович Зле́нко; 2 June 1938[1] – 1 March 2021[2][3]) was a Ukrainian diplomat. He served as Ukraine's first Foreign Minister[4] from 1990 to 1994[3] and again from 2000 to 2003.[2] Zlenko was previously the Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the United Nations from 1994[5] to 1997.[2][6]

In this name that follows Eastern Slavic naming conventions, the patronymic is Maksymovych and the family name is Zlenko.

Anatoliy Zlenko
Анатолій Зленко
Anatoliy Zlenko in March 2001
Zlenko in March 2001
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine
In office
2 October 2000 – 2 September 2003
Preceded byOleksandr Chalyi
Succeeded byKostyantyn Gryshchenko
In office
24 August 1991 – 25 August 1994
Preceded byPosition established
(Himself as Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Ukrainian SSR)
Succeeded byHennadiy Udovenko
Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Ukrainian SSR
In office
27 July 1990 – 24 August 1991
Preceded byVolodymyr Kravets
Succeeded byPosition abolished
(Himself as Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine)
Personal details
Born(1938-06-02)2 June 1938
Stavyshche, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union (now Ukraine)
Died1 March 2021(2021-03-01) (aged 82)

Early life and career

Born 2 June 1938, in the village Stavyshche, Kyiv Oblast, Zlenko graduated from Kyiv mining college in 1959, and was made mining master of the "Maksymivka-Pologa" mine, located in Kadiivka (at the time the city was named Serho/Sergo). In 1967 Zlenko graduated from Kyiv University, and was subsequently made a diplomatic attache for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the USSR.[1]

In 1973, Zlenko became a staff member of the Secretariat of UNESCO in Paris. He subsequently became the permanent representative of the USSR to UNESCO in October 1983. In April 1987, he became a Deputy of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine and subsequently became the First Deputy for a year, between July 1989 and July 1990.[1]

Minister of Foreign Affairs
Zlenko as Minister of Foreign Affairs with the Iranian President Mohammad Khatami on 19 July 2003

In 1990, Zlenko became the first Foreign Minister of the newly independent Ukraine.[1][3] He strongly promoted Ukraine's relations with Western Europe. In an interview in 1990, Zlenko said:

"A common history existing a thousand years and a deep cultural, linguistic and ideological closeness have linked us with neighboring Poland. The western regions of Ukraine and the eastern provinces of Poland...are similar in make-up of population and economy...Our border with Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Romania is shorter than that with Poland. But there are also ethnic...influences, economic ties, trade, mixed marriages, the common Danube waters..."

His first term concluded in September 1994, and he became the Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the United Nations until September 1997, subsequently serving as the Ukrainian Ambassador to France until 2000, in which capacity he returned to his former position as Ukrainian Representative to UNESCO (in November 1998 he also was appointed Ukrainian Ambassador to Portugal).[1] He subsequently returned to his position as Minister of Foreign affairs, until retiring in 2003.[1]

In 2010, Zlenko was appointed dean of the Faculty of International Relations of Kyiv Slavic University.[1]

References
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Anatoliy Zlenko.
  1. (in Ukrainian) Foreign Minister Zlenko passed away, Ukrinform (1 March 2021)
  2. (in Ukrainian) Помер перший глава МЗС України Анатолій Зленко, Deutsche Welle (1 March 2021)
  3. (in Ukrainian) The first head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Zlenko - the diplomat died, Ukrayinska Pravda (1 March 2021)
  4. "Diplomatic standoff over Georgia heads to Kyiv, Dushanbe". EurasiaNet. 27 August 2008. Retrieved 24 January 2010.
  5. Decree of the President of Ukraine N 550/94 Про призначення Постійного Представника України при ООН
  6. "Decree of the President of Ukraine N 1046/97 Про звільнення А. Зленка з посади Постійного Представника України при ООН". Archived from the original on 28 January 2015. Retrieved 24 January 2015.
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