Dmitry Mezentsev | |
Office1: | General Secretary of the Union State of Russia and Belarus |
Term Start1: | 19 March 2021 |
Predecessor1: | Grigory Rapota |
Office2: | Ambassador of Russia to Belarus |
Term Start2: | 30 April 2019 |
Term End2: | 19 March 2021 |
Predecessor2: | Mikhail Babich |
Office3: | Russian Federation Senator from Sakhalin Oblast |
Term Start3: | 31 December 2015 |
Term End3: | 30 April 2019 |
Predecessor3: | Zhanna Ivanova |
Successor3: | Grigory Karasin |
Office4: | Secretary-General of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation |
Term Start4: | 1 January 2013 |
Term End4: | 31 December 2015 |
Predecessor4: | Muratbek Imanaliyev |
Successor4: | Rashid Alimov |
Order5: | 5th |
Office5: | Governor of Irkutsk Oblast |
Term Start5: | 8 June 2009 |
Term End5: | 18 May 2012 |
Predecessor5: | Igor Yesipovsky |
Successor5: | Sergey Yeroshchenko |
Birth Date: | 18 August 1959 |
Birth Place: | Leningrad, Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, Soviet Union |
Party: | United Russia |
Native Name Lang: | ru |
Dmitry Fyodorovich Mezentsev (Russian: Дми́трий Фёдорович Ме́зенцев; born 18 August 1959, Leningrad)[1] is a Russian politician and diplomat serving since 2021 as the State Secretary of the Union State of Russia and Belarus. Previously he was Ambassador of Russia to Belarus (2019–2021), Senator from Sakhalin Oblast (2015–2019), Secretary-General of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (2013–2015) and Governor of Irkutsk Oblast (2009–2012).[2] [3]
In 2012 Mezentsev ran for President of Russia, but was rejected by the Central Election Commission.[4]
See main article: 2012 Russian presidential election.
Mezentsev tried to run for President of Russia in 2012. On 14 December 2011, the trade Union Committee of the East Siberian railway nominated Dmitry Mezentsev as a presidential candidate. His candidacy was supported by the then President of Russian Railways Vladimir Yakunin.[5] However, the CEC rejected Mezentsev's candidacy, as after checking the signatures collected in his support, too many signatures were not recognized as valid.[6]
On 19 March 2021, Mezentsev was relieved of his post as ambassador to Belarus by presidential decree.[7] On the same day President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko appointed Mezentsev State Secretary of the Union State of Russia and Belarus, replacing Grigory Rapota.[8]