Andrey Kozyrev

Andrey Vladimirovich Kozyrev is a Russian politician who served as the former and the first Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation under President Boris Yeltsin, in office from October 1991 until January 1996. In his position he was credited with developing Russia's foreign policy immediately after the fall of the Soviet Union, although many in Russia have criticized him for being weak and not assertive enough in defending Russian interests in the face of the United States and NATO in places like Bosnia and Iraq. For this he took a lot of criticism from the nationalist politicians and parties. He also received positive reviews for his criticism of imperialism and improved relations with the West. Kozyrev had graduated from the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO) with a Ph.D. in history before joining the Soviet Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1974, holding various positions in it before being appointed foreign minister.