Miguel Ángel Moratinos facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Miguel Ángel Moratinos
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| United Nations Under-Secretary-General, High-Representative for the Alliance of Civilizations | |
| Assumed office 7 January 2019 |
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| Secretary-General | António Guterres |
| Preceded by | Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser |
| Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation | |
| In office 18 April 2004 – 21 October 2010 |
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| Prime Minister | José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero |
| Preceded by | Ana Palacio |
| Succeeded by | Trinidad Jiménez |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 8 June 1951 Madrid, Spain |
| Political party | Spanish Socialist Workers' Party |
| Alma mater | Complutense University |
| Website | www.blogdemoratinos.es |
Miguel Ángel Moratinos Cuyaubé was born on June 8, 1951. He is a Spanish diplomat and politician. A diplomat helps countries talk to each other and solve problems. A politician works in government to make decisions for their country.
Moratinos is a member of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party. He was a member of the Spanish Parliament, representing the city of Córdoba, from 2004 to 2011. From 2004 to 2010, he was Spain's Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation. This means he was in charge of Spain's relationships with other countries.
In 2018, he became a top official at the United Nations. He was appointed as the High Representative for the Alliance of Civilizations. He started this important role on January 7, 2019.
Contents
Education and Early Career
Miguel Ángel Moratinos studied Law and Political Sciences. He went to the Complutense University of Madrid. After that, he studied Diplomatic Studies. This training helped him prepare for a career working with other countries.
He worked with Javier Solana, who was also a Spanish foreign minister. Together, they helped start the Euro-Mediterranean dialogue. This was a way for European and Mediterranean countries to talk and work together. It began in November 1995 in Barcelona.
Working for the European Union
From 1996 to 2003, Moratinos was a special representative for the European Union in the Middle East. He was based in Cyprus and Brussels. In this job, he went to many meetings with foreign ministers from EU countries. The European Union gave a lot of money to the Middle East. It also spoke out more about the relationship between Israel and Palestine.
Minister of Foreign Affairs
Miguel Ángel Moratinos became the Minister of Foreign Affairs for Spain. He served in the government of José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero. His time as minister was from April 18, 2004, to October 21, 2010. After him, Trinidad Jiménez took over the role.
Spain's Relationship with Gibraltar
In September 2006, Moratinos signed an important agreement. It was called the Cordoba Agreement. He signed it with the UK Minister for Europe and Gibraltar's Chief Minister. This agreement helped Spain, the UK, and Gibraltar work together.
As part of this agreement, Moratinos visited Gibraltar in July 2009. This was a big moment. He was the first Spanish minister to ever make an official visit to the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar.
Relationships with the United States
In September 2006, Moratinos was the first government official to speak to the European Parliament. They were looking into activities of the CIA in Europe.
In 2009, Moratinos sent a private message to the U.S. Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton. He warned that Spanish people might become anti-American. This was if Spain shared a study about pollution from a plane crash in 1966. This information was later shared in the WikiLeaks documents.
In 2010, Moratinos announced that Spain was ready to take in five prisoners. These prisoners were from the American military prison in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba.
Leading the OSCE
While he was minister, Moratinos was also the Chairman-in-Office of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in 2007. The OSCE works to keep peace and stability in Europe. He appointed a diplomat to investigate a missile incident in Georgia.
Relationships with Latin America
After an election in Bolivia in December 2005, Moratinos had to deal with a funny situation. A comedian pretended to be the Spanish prime minister. The comedian called the new president of Bolivia, Evo Morales.
In October 2006, Moratinos announced that a European defense company had to cancel a deal. They were going to sell 12 military planes to Venezuela. But the American government did not agree, so the deal could not happen.
In 2007, the U.S. Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, said Spain should do more to support people who disagreed with the government in Cuba. This was after Moratinos chose not to meet with these people during a visit to the United States. In 2010, he helped with talks that led to 52 Cuban prisoners being set free. They were allowed to go live in Spain.
In late 2009, Moratinos worked hard to help the president of Honduras, Manuel Zelaya, get his job back after he was removed from power.
Later Career and International Roles
In 2010, Moratinos took on a new task. He became a special envoy to help solve a disagreement between Israel and Egypt. This disagreement was causing problems for a big meeting of countries around the Mediterranean Sea.
Since 2011, Moratinos has been teaching at Sciences Po Paris, a famous university. In 2011, the Spanish government suggested him as a candidate to lead the FAO. The FAO is an organization that works to end hunger around the world. He visited many countries to campaign for this role. However, he did not win the election.
In 2012, Moratinos was considered for a role at the United Nations. This role was a special envoy for Syria. From 2012 to 2013, he was also part of an advisory group for the President of the United Nations General Assembly.
After discussions, the United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, chose Moratinos for an important job. In 2018, he was appointed as the High Representative for the Alliance of Civilizations. He took over this role from Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser. This alliance works to improve understanding and cooperation between different cultures and religions.
Other Activities and Recognition
Miguel Ángel Moratinos has also been involved in many other groups and organizations. He has served on advisory boards for centers that study international relations and energy. He has also been involved with groups focused on sustainable development. Sustainable development means meeting our needs today without harming the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
Awards and Honors
Moratinos has received several honors for his work:
- He was made an honorary citizen of Belgrade in 2009.
- He received the Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana in 2007.
- He also received the Order of Ouissam Alaouite.
Honorary Degrees
He has also been given honorary doctorates from several universities, including:
- The University of Malta
- Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
- Al-Quds University
- Tel Aviv University
Images for kids
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Miguel Ángel Moratinos with King Juan Carlos I during a visit to Estonia in 2009. They are being greeted by the Prime Minister of Estonia, Andrus Ansip.
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Moratinos with the foreign ministers of Turkey and Brazil.
See also
In Spanish: Miguel Ángel Moratinos para niños
