The Honorable Géza Jeszenszky, the
first foreign minister of the Democratic Republic of
Hungary, was born in 1941 in Budapest. Before entering
government service, he served as a Professor of
History at Karl Marx University in Budapest and a
visiting professor at the University of California,
Santa Barbara. Presently, Mr. Jeszenszky represents
Hungary in Washington, D.C., as its ambassador,
meeting with leaders world-wide.
Ambassador Jeszenszky played a
significant role in the break-up of the Communist
system in Hungary. He was one of the founders of the
anti-Communist opposition party, the Hungarian
Democratic Forum. Following Hungary’s elections in
1990, Mr. Jeszenszky served as Minister of Foreign
Affairs in the Government of Jozsef Antall. During his
four years of tenure, the Ambassador formulated and
put into practice the new, pro-Western, Hungarian
foreign policy. By doing so, Mr. Jeszenszky laid the
foundation for Hungary’s entrance into NATO and the
European community.
Ambassador Jeszenszky is also the
author of many scholarly publications, including
"The Changing Image of Hungary in Britain, 1894-1918,"
He is a frequent guest speaker at conferences, such as
the American Association for the Advancement of Slavic
Studies, the Council on Foreign Relations, the
Atlantic Council of the United States, the Institute
Francias des Relations Internationales, as well as
universities all over the world.
