Alexey Meshkov
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Alexey Yurievich Meshkov (Russian: Алексей Юрьевич Мешков; born 22 August 1959), also transliterated as Alexei Meshkov or Alexeï Mechkov, is a Russian diplomat. He has served as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to France and, by concurrent accreditation, to the Principality of Monaco since 23 October 2017. He previously served two terms as Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs (2001–2004 and 2012–2017) and as Ambassador to Italy and San Marino from 2004 to 2012.[1][2]
Alexey Meshkov | |
|---|---|
Алексей Юрьевич Мешков | |
Meshkov in 2016 | |
| Ambassador of the Russian Federation to France | |
| Assumed office 23 October 2017 | |
| President | Vladimir Putin |
| Preceded by | Alexander Orlov |
| Ambassador of the Russian Federation to Monaco | |
| Assumed office 23 October 2017 | |
| President | Vladimir Putin |
| Preceded by | Alexander Orlov |
| Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation | |
| In office 25 December 2012 – 23 October 2017 | |
| Ambassador of the Russian Federation to Italy | |
| In office 20 January 2004 – 14 December 2012 | |
| President | Vladimir Putin Dmitry Medvedev |
| Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation | |
| In office 6 September 2001 – 20 January 2004 | |
| President | Vladimir Putin |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 22 August 1959 Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union |
| Spouse | Galina Ivanovna Meshkova |
| Children | 4 |
| Moscow State Institute of International Relations | |
| Profession | Diplomat |
Early life and education
Alexey Meshkov was born on 22 August 1959 in Moscow. In 1981 he graduated from the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO) and joined the diplomatic service of the USSR Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He speaks English, Italian and Spanish.[1][3]
Diplomatic career
Early postings (1981–2001)
From 1981 to 1986, Meshkov worked as duty assistant, attaché and third secretary at the Soviet Embassy in Spain. From 1986 to 1992 he held the posts of third, second and first secretary, then head of section, at the Department of Scientific and Technical Cooperation of the Soviet Foreign Ministry. He returned to Madrid in 1992, serving as first secretary, counsellor and senior counsellor at the Russian Embassy in Spain until 1997, working under future Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov.[3][4]
From 1997 to 1998 he served as deputy director of the Department of Pan-European Cooperation of the Russian Foreign Ministry. He then became head of the Foreign Policy Planning Directorate (1998–1999) and director of the Foreign Policy Planning Department from 1999, joining the Collegium of the Ministry in 2000.[4][5]
First term as Deputy Foreign Minister (2001–2004)
On 6 September 2001, Meshkov was appointed Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation by President Vladimir Putin. In October 2002, he summoned the French ambassador to Moscow, Claude Blanchemaison, in protest after a conference held by Chechen representatives at the Théâtre national de la Colline in Paris, telling him that "any such action runs directly counter to the terms of UN Security Council Resolution 1373 which prohibits any form of support to international terrorists".[6]
Ambassador to Italy and San Marino (2004–2012)
By presidential decree of 20 January 2004, Meshkov was appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Italian Republic, a position he held until 14 December 2012. From 27 February 2004 he was concurrently accredited as Ambassador to the Republic of San Marino. From 2 September 2006 to 2012, he also served concurrently as the Permanent Representative of Russia to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP) in Rome.[1][4][5]
Second term as Deputy Foreign Minister (2012–2017)
On 25 December 2012, Meshkov was again appointed Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs.[7] In this capacity, he oversaw European affairs and represented Russia in numerous bilateral and multilateral forums.[1]
Ambassador to France and Monaco (since 2017)
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On 23 October 2017, by two presidential decrees, Putin relieved Meshkov of his post as Deputy Foreign Minister and appointed him Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the French Republic and, by concurrent accreditation, to the Principality of Monaco, succeeding Alexander Orlov in both positions.[2][8] French President Emmanuel Macron welcomed the appointment as a "positive signal", through the words of his spokesman Christophe Castaner.[9] He presented his letters of credence on 19 December 2017.[6] Unlike his predecessors at the post, Meshkov does not speak French and uses an interpreter for his official duties.[6]
Russia-Ukraine war and tensions with Paris
On 25 March 2022, one month after the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Meshkov was summoned to the Quai d'Orsay after the Russian Embassy in France posted on Twitter two cartoons deemed "unacceptable" by the French foreign ministry. One depicted European countries on their knees licking the buttocks of Uncle Sam under the caption "European solidarity as it is", while the other showed a dying Europe on a bed being injected by the United States and the European Union with substances labelled "neo-Nazism", "Russophobia" and "Covid-19". The cartoons were deleted from Twitter after the démarche.[10][11]
On 4 October 2022, Meshkov was interviewed on CNews by Laurence Ferrari. Asked about the nuclear escalation rhetoric, he stated that "for the moment, there is no reason for Russia to use tactical nuclear weapons", reiterating that the Russian doctrine envisages nuclear use only in case of a nuclear attack on Russia or its allies, or a conventional attack threatening the very existence of the Russian state. He also accused NATO members of having initiated the verbal escalation.[12]
He was again summoned to the French Foreign Ministry on 6 May 2024 after Paris accused Moscow of "diverting diplomatic channels for purposes of information manipulation and intimidation". The summons followed the prior convocation of French Ambassador Pierre Lévy in Moscow.[13]
In an April 2025 interview with the JDD, Meshkov declared "we are not afraid of anything" with regard to Western pressure and expressed hope for a resumption of dialogue with Paris. He also denounced the Ukrainian government as a "Nazi regime" and noted that no Russian representative had been invited to the 80th anniversary commemorations of the liberation of Auschwitz or of Victory in Europe Day in France.[14]
Memberships
Meshkov is a member of the Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC) and of the Council on Foreign and Defense Policy (SVOP).[1][4]
Personal life
Honours and awards
Russian Federation
- Order "For Merit to the Fatherland", 4th class (17 October 2024)[3]
- Order of Alexander Nevsky (28 July 2016)[5]
- Order of Honour (14 May 2010)[3]
- Order of Friendship (22 November 1999)[3]
- Certificate of Merit of the President of Russia (5 November 2014)[3]
- Commendation of the President of the Russian Federation (11 February 2008)[5]
- Certificate of Merit of the Government of the Russian Federation (18 September 2002)[3]
