Bogdan Aurescu is the new Foreign Affairs Minister

Bogdan Aurescu took the oath of office to become Romania's new Foreign Affairs Minister, at a swearing-in ceremony before President Traian Basescu at the Cotroceni Palace.

2014-11-25 16:00:22

The new Culture Minister and Deputy Prime Minister, Ms. Hegedus Csilla also took the oath of office before Traian Basescu at the same ceremony.

President in charge Traian Basescu signed this week a decree appointing Bogdan-Lucian Aurescu as Foreign Affairs Minister, the Presidential Administration informs. The head of state also signed a decree noting the resignation of Teodor Melescanu from foreign minister and the cessation of his Government membership.

Bogdan Aurescu (bio)

Diplomat Bogdan Lucian Aurescu was born on Sept. 9, 1973. He graduated from Bucharest Sfantul Sava National College (high school) in 1992, the Law Faculty (1996, with a Merit Diploma) and the History Faculty (1998) of Bucharest University, the Nicolae Titulescu - Henri Capitant French-Romanian Institute of the Affairs Law and International Cooperation (1996) and Bucharest National Defence College (2000).

He has a PhD in legal sciences, specialising in law, with "Summa cum laude" with the thesis entitled The Concept of Sovereignty and the Supremacy of International Law (2003). He completed the post-PhD research programme getting the "excellent" mark in International Law of the Minorities Protection, Humanitarian International Law, the Refugees Law and Criminal Law.
Aurescu started a teaching activity in 1998 (a university assistant over 2002-2004; university reader 2004-2012).

He is also a university reader at the Public Law Department of the Law Faculty - Bucharest University since 2012. Aurescu has been working at the Foreign Affairs Ministry since 1996, where he started at the Judicial and Treaties Directorate.

Starting September 2004, Bogdan Aurescu was Romania′s Agent for the International Court of Justice, in this capacity he coordinated the entire activity of the team having represented Romania in the lawsuit vs Ukraine at the International Court of Justice on the Maritime Delimitation in the Black Sea, that ended on February 3, 2009.
During 2010-2011, Aurescu was the chief negotiator for Romania of the Romanian-U.S. Agreement on missile defence and of the Common Declaration of the Strategic Partnership for the 21st Century between Romania and the United States. He currently holds the diplomatic rank of plenipotentiary minister.

Aurescu was named a State Secretary for Strategic Affairs at the Foreign Ministry on February 4, 2009. Over August 2010 - February 2012 he served as a State Secretary for European Affairs and also coordinated the Security Policies Directorate. He served as a State Secretary for Global Affairs over March-June 2012. In June 2012 he became a State Secretary for Strategic Affairs.
Aurescu is a member of The Hague Permanent Court of Arbitration, an alternative member in the European Commission for Democracy through Law (the Venice Commission) of the Council of Europe, an alternative representative of Romania in the Danube Commission and Arbiter appointed by Romania in accordance with Article 2 of Appendix VII to the U.N. Convention of the Sea Law.
He has been bestowed numerous decorations and distinctions, among which the Star of Romania National Order, Knight′s Rank (2009) and Officer′s Rank (2013) and the Gold Medal of the Polish Armed Forces (2013).

Aurescu is an author, co-author or coordinator of 13 volumes on international law, 15 chapters published in collective volumes, 15 studies published in volumes of the international specialised conferences and over 100 articles, studies, commentaries published in Romanian and foreign magazines. As an alternative member (independent expert) of the Venice Commission, he was a rapporteur or co-rapporteur for 22 reports, opinions or studies of this institution.
He is fluent in English and French.