Vladimir Ogryzko Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine. Date of Birth: 01.04.1956 Country: Ukraine

1. Biography of Vladimir Ogryzko
2. Early Career
3. Diplomatic Assignments
4. Leadership Roles
5. Minister of Foreign Affairs
6. Controversies and Resignation
7. Later Career

Biography of Vladimir Ogryzko

Vladimir Ogryzko is a Ukrainian politician and former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine from 2007 to 2009. He completed his studies at the Faculty of International Relations and International Law at Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, specializing in "translator from German" in 1978. He holds a candidate of historical sciences degree and is fluent in German and English.

Early Career

After graduating in 1978, Ogryzko started his career as an attaché in the press department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Ukrainian SSR. He served as the 3rd secretary of the press department and later served in the Armed Forces of the USSR. In 1983, he returned to the press department as the 3rd secretary and then became the 2nd secretary in 1985.

Diplomatic Assignments

In 1988, Ogryzko became the 1st secretary of the main advisor department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Ukrainian SSR. He served as an advisor in various departments within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, including the political analysis and coordination department. From 1992 to 1994, Ogryzko served as a counselor-envoy in the Ukrainian Embassy in Germany. He later became the counselor-envoy in the Ukrainian Embassy in Austria.

Leadership Roles

In 1996, Ogryzko became the head of the foreign policy department of the administration of Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma. He then served as the Ukrainian Ambassador to Austria and the Permanent Representative of Ukraine to international organizations in Vienna from 1999 to 2004. In February 2005, he became the First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs under Boris Tarasyuk.

Minister of Foreign Affairs

On January 30, 2007, Ogryzko assumed the role of Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs following Tarasyuk's resignation. However, his nomination for the position was rejected twice by the Verkhovna Rada, with 196 and 195 votes in favor out of the required 226. The media reported that his candidacy was met with negativity from Russian authorities, and Russian political analyst Sergei Markov claimed in January 2007 that "Vladimir Ogryzko hates Russia and Russians." After Arseniy Yatsenyuk was appointed as the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ogryzko remained his First Deputy.

Controversies and Resignation

During his tenure as Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ogryzko faced setbacks such as the loss of a dispute with Romania over 80% of the shelf near Snake Island and the threat to declare the Russian Ambassador to Ukraine, Viktor Chernomyrdin, persona non grata. On March 3, 2009, he was dismissed by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. The resolution, initiated by Vasyl Kiseliov from the Party of Regions, accused Ogryzko of deteriorating relations with Russia, failing in the integration with the European Union, and not protecting Ukraine's interests in the division of the continental shelf. The resolution received support from 250 votes, including 174 from the Party of Regions, 27 from the Communists, and 49 from the Bloc Yulia Tymoshenko.

Later Career

On March 17, 2009, President Viktor Yushchenko appointed Ogryzko as the First Deputy Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, a position he already held as the Minister of Foreign Affairs.