Eduard Kukan, long-term diplomat and politician, has died at the age of 82 years.
The cause of his death was probably heart failure, the SITA newswire reported.
Kukan graduated from the Moscow State Institute of International Relations in 1968, where he learnt the Swahili language. He then received a doctorate in law from the Faculty of Law of the Charles University in Prague, and in 1993 he received an honorary doctorate in law from Upsala College in the USA.
Kukan served as foreign affairs minister in 1994, then 1998-2006, i.e. during both governments led by Mikuláš Dzurinda. He also attended the accession talks to the European Union and NATO. In 2004, he unsuccessfully ran for president.
He represented the SDKÚ party in the parliament and in the years 2009 and 2014-2019 he served as MEP.
“He contributed to the renaissance of Slovakia and its accession to the EU and NATO,” Dzurinda said, as quoted by the TASR newswire, expressing his sympathies to the bereaved.
Kukan had a rich diplomatic career, with his diplomatic posts including Zambia, the United States and Ethiopia. He also served as permanent representative to the United Nations and in 1999, he was appointed UN Special Envoy on Kosovo, alongside Carl Bildt.
The Parliament of Albania held a minute of silence for the death of former MEP Eduard Kukan in its Thursday’s plenary session.
The request was made by the chairman of the SP parliamentary group, Taulant Balla.
“Last night, a valuable friend of Albania and Albanians passed away. Since 2009 he has been co-chair of the Stabilization and Association process of Albania,” said Balla
