Gennadi Gerasimov

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Gennadi Gerasimov
Геннадий Герасимов
Gerasimov in 2001
Russian Ambassador to Portugal
In office
1990–1995
Personal details
Born
Gennadi Ivanovich Gerasimov

(1930-03-03)3 March 1930
Yelabuga, Tatar ASSR, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union (now Tatarstan, Russia)
Died14 September 2010(2010-09-14) (aged 80)
Moscow, Russia

Gennadi (or Gennady) Ivanovich Gerasimov (Russian: Геннадий Иванович Герасимов; 3 March 1930 – 14 September 2010[1]) was the last Soviet, and then Russian ambassador to Portugal from 1990 to 1995. Previously he was foreign affairs spokesman for Mikhail Gorbachev and press secretary to Eduard Shevardnadze.[2]

He is noted for coining the expression "Sinatra Doctrine" in reference to Gorbachev's non-intervention policy with respect to other members of the Warsaw Pact.[3] When asked, during Mikhail Gorbachev's visit to Prague in 1987, what the difference was between the Prague Spring and perestroika, Gerasimov replied: "nineteen years".[4]

He was recognized in 1990 as Communicator of the Year by the (American) National Association of Government Communicators (NAGC).[5]

He is mentioned in the Billy Bragg song "Moving the Goalposts".

References[edit]

  1. ^ Diário Digital / Lusa (2010-09-16). "Rússia: Morreu o último embaixador soviético em Portugal". Diário Digital. Retrieved 2010-09-17.
  2. ^ "Russia's Media Revolution: From Party Control to Money Control" (PDF). East-West Center. p. 8. Retrieved 7 September 2010.
  3. ^ "His Way". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 7 September 2010.
  4. ^ Jacques Levesque, The Enigma of 1989: The USSR and the Liberation of Eastern Europe (Berkeley-London: Berkeley, University of California Press, 1997), p. 62.
  5. ^ "Former Russian Official To Speak At Muhlenberg". Morning Call. Retrieved 7 September 2010.