Introduction
Witold Jan Waszczykowski (Polish: [ˈvitɔlt vaʂt͡ʂɨˈkɔfskʲi]; born 5 May 1957) is a Polish politician, and the current Minister of Foreign Affairs, serving since 2015. Since 2011, Waszczykowski is a Member of the Sejm.
Life and career
Waszczykowski was born in Piotrków Trybunalski, Poland on 5 May 1957. He is a graduate of the University of Łódź, earning a Master's degree in history, and the University of Oregon, where he received a Master's degree in international studies. Waszczykowski completed advanced studies at the Geneva Centre for Security Policy. He also holds a PhD in the history from the University of Łódź.
He joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1992. From 1999 to 2002, Waszczykowski was the Ambassador of Poland to Iran. On 4 November 2005, he became Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs. Waszczykowski served as the chief negotiator with the United States on missile defense. He served until 11 August 2008.
From 27 August 2008 to 6 July 2010, Waszczykowski was the Deputy Head of the National Security Bureau. In the 2011 parliamentary elections, he successfully ran for the Sejm. He was reelected in 2015.
Since 16 November 2015 Waszczykowski has been the Minister of Foreign Affairs in Cabinet of Beata Szydło.
On 10 January 2017, he accidentally referred to San Cristóbal y Nieves as "San Escobar". This was immediately picked up by newspapers throughout the world, such as The Guardian, The Telegraph, The Washington Post., The New York Times, and Britské listy.
Positions held
- Ambassador to Iran (1999 – 2002)
- Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs (4 November 2005 – 11 August 2008)
- Deputy Head of the National Security Bureau (27 August 2008 – 6 July 2010)
- Member of the Sejm (9 October 2011 – present)
- Minister of Foreign Affairs (November 2015 – present)