January 9, 2003

FORMER RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTER TO SPEAK AT BOISE STATE

Former Russian Foreign Minister Andrei Kozyrev will speak at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 28, in the Boise State University Student Union Jordan D Ballroom. His speech, titled "Putin’s Foreign Policy: Has Russia Joined the West?" is free and open to the public.

Ambassador Kozyrev, who is fluent in English, will examine Russian President Vladimir Putin’s foreign policy in the context of Russian policy objectives, continuing democratization and market orientation. While the West does not share many of Putin’s objectives — especially those in Central Asia and Chechnya — he also has critics at home who are not happy with his western orientation. How does he balance that disparity with the need for foreign support and the reality of NATO’s expansion?

A reception for Ambassador Kozyrev will precede his address from 5:30-7 p.m. at the Langroise House, the residence of Boise State President Charles Ruch, at 929 Warm Spring Ave. Cost is $75 per person, with proceeds benefiting the Frank Church Chair of Public Affairs. To make a reservation, call (208) 426-3776 by Jan. 22.

Kozyrev was appointed foreign minister of the Russian Federation in 1990, a post he held until January 1996, when he was replaced by Yevgeny Primakov. He began his work with the government at the age of 17 as a member of the staff of the former U.S.S.R. Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where he rose to head of the Department of International Organizations from 1986-1990. He served as a member of the State Duma (lower chamber of Parliament) from December 1993 to January 2000 and is currently a member of the board of directors for ICN Pharmaceuticals.

Kozyrev’s visit is sponsored by the Frank Church Chair of Public Affairs Advisory Committee, Boise State University’s College of Social Sciences and Public Affairs, the Boise State Department of Political Science and the Boise Committee on Foreign Relations.

For more information, contact the College of Social Sciences and Public Affairs at (208) 426-3776.

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Shelton Woods

College of Social Sciences and Public Affairs

(208) 426-3349

Kathleen Craven

communications and marketing

(208) 426-3275

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