Joseph Martin Fischer

Former German Foreign Minister
and Vice Chancellor (1998-2005)

Joseph (Joschka) Fischer was named German Foreign Minister and Vice Chancellor in Gerhard Schroder’s government in 1998. He held the post until 2005, giving him the second longest tenure in that post in Germany’s history. While in office, Mr Fischer actively developed the country’s economic partnership with Russia. "Germany, Europe and the world need Russia as a strategic partner," he once said in an interview with the Bild newspaper. "One ought not undervalue the significance of President Putin’s decision to open Russia to the west."

In 2004, Germany invested more funds in Russia’s economy (over EUR10 bln) than any other foreign government, becoming one of the key overseas strategic partners for Russia.

Mr Fischer is currently a senior fellow at the Liechtenstein Institute on Self-Determination at the Princeton University and a visiting professor at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at the Princeton University. He has also spoken at other American universities on various topic in foreign affairs and international relations.