Ivan Hristov Bashev

Ivan Khristo Bashev (Ivan Basev) (b. February 14 1916 - d. December 13, 1971), was a Bulgarian diplomat and held the title Bulgarian foreign minister 1962-1971. Ivan Bashev was born February 11, 1916 in Sofia, Bulgaria. Bashev headed the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry till his death on December 13, 1971 and was considered one of "most remarkable foreign ministers of Bulgaria."

Biography

Ivan Basheve graduated in law prior to joining the communist party. He was editor-in-chief of the national daily Narodna Mladezh from 1944 to 1946. He joined the Bulgarian Communist Party in the late 1946 and was elected to the party's central committee in 1962.

In 1956 Bashev was appointed deputy minister of education followed by the appointment of deputy minister of foreign affairs. In 1962 he joined as foreign minister the government which was formed by Todor Zhivkov after the fall of the Anton Yugov government and the defeat of the Stalinist and pro-Chinese party faction headed by Vulko Chervenkov. 1966 Zhivkov reorganized his government, and Bashev was allowed to retain his post. When the Stanko Todorov cabinet formed in July 1971, he again was allowed to keep his post. On December 13, 1971 Bashev was found frozen to death. According to a Foreign Ministry statement, he was alone, and had been caught in a sudden snowstorm while skiing on Mount Vitosha near Sofia. He had apparently fallen, been injured, and died of cold and exhaustion before being found by the mountain rescue service.

Bashev was instrumental in reestablishing relations between Bulgaria and Denmark. April 7 1968 Ivan Bashev became the first visitor of a East-European Foreign Minister to Reykjavik, Iceland. The visits were instrumental in gaining the elimination of visa regime between Bulgaria and Denmark, Norway and Iceland. (an ironic sidenote: In 1989 just after the establishment of a real parliamentary democracy in Bulgaria those agreements were denounced and the visa regime was restored).

References

Books Bibliografiia : mezhdunarodni otnosheniia, politika i ikonomika na republika Turtsiia : 1945-1970 / Sava Karadzhov ; Institut za vunshna politika Ivan Bashev. Sofiia : [s.n.], 1976- (DR477 .B58)

External Links/Sources

• http://www.coldwar.hu/html/en/publications/two_poles.html
• http://www.b-info.com/places/Bulgaria/news/96-02/feb13.bta
• http://www.hri.org/news/balkans/bta/1996/96-02-13.bta.html#06
• http://www.isn.ethz.ch/php/documents/collection_3/PCC_docs/1965/1965_18_I.pdf
• http://www.isn.ethz.ch/php/documents/collection_3/PCC_meetings/coll_3_PCC_1965.htm
• http://jcgi.pathfinder.com/time/archive/printout/0,23657,901913,00.html
• http://rulers.org/indexb1.html#bashe
• http://rulers.org/fm1.html
• http://www.emz-berlin.de/projekte_e/pj41_pdf/Marushiakova.pdf
• http://www.kampanyarchivum.hu/files/300/8/3/7-3-150.html
• http://euro2001.net/index.shtml?page=issuecontent&file=issues/2_2005/english_ver.html

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