View source for Markus Meckel

{{short description|German theologian and politician|bot=PearBOT 5}}
{{expand German|topic=bio|date=August 2022|Markus Meckel}}
{{Infobox Minister
| name                = Markus Meckel
| image               = Berlin Rally by Demokrati-JA in support of Ukraine asv2023-02 img11.jpg
| imagesize           = 
| caption             = Meckel in 2023
| office              = [[Ministry for Foreign Affairs (East Germany)|Minister for Foreign Affairs]]
| 1blankname          = {{nowrap|[[Council of Ministers of East Germany#Chairmen of the Council of Ministers|Minister-President]]}}
| 1namedata           = [[Lothar de Maizière]]
| term_start          = 12 April 1990
| term_end            = 20 August 1990
| predecessor         = [[Oskar Fischer (politician)|Oskar Fischer]]
| successor           = Lothar de Maizière {{small|(acting)}}
| office1             = Leader of the<br />[[Social Democratic Party in the GDR]]
| status1             = Acting
| term_start1         = 26 March 1990
| term_end1           = 9 June 1990
| predecessor1        = [[Ibrahim Böhme]]
| successor1          = [[Wolfgang Thierse]]
{{Collapsed infobox section begin |last=yes |Parliamentary constituencies
 |titlestyle=border:1px dashed lightgrey;}}{{Infobox officeholder |embed=yes
| office2             = [[Member of the German Bundestag|Member]] of the [[Bundestag]] <br /> for [[Uckermark – Barnim I]]<br />{{small|([[Uckermark – Barnim I#History|Prenzlau – Angermünde – Schwedt – Templin – Gransee]]; 1990–2002)}}
| term_start2         = [[1990 German federal election|20 December 1990]]
| term_end2           = [[Uckermark – Barnim I#2009 election|27 October 2009]]
| predecessor2        = [[German reunification|''Constituency established'']]
| successor2          = Sabine Stüber
| office3             = Member of the [[Volkskammer]] <br /> for [[Bezirk Magdeburg|Magdeburg]]
| term_start3         = [[1990 East German general election|5 April 1990]]
| term_end3           = 2 October 1990
| predecessor3        = ''Constituency established''
| successor3          = [[German reunification|''Constituency abolished'']]{{Collapsed infobox section end}}}}
| birth_date          = {{Birth date and age|1952|08|18|df=y}}
| birth_place         = [[Müncheberg]], [[Bezirk Neubrandenburg]], [[East Germany]] {{small|(now [[Brandenburg]], [[Germany]])}}
| nationality         = German
| death_date          = 
| death_place         = 
| party       = [[Social Democratic Party of Germany]]<br />{{small|(1990–)}}
| otherparty = [[Social Democratic Party in the GDR]] {{small|(1989–1990)}}
| relations           = 
| residence           = 
| alma_mater          = ''Katechetisches Oberseminar Naumburg (Saale)''
| occupation          = {{hlist|Politician|Theologian}}
| religion            = 
| signature           = 
| website             = 
| footnotes           = 
}}
'''Markus Meckel''' (born 18 August 1952) is a German [[theologian]] and [[politician]]. He was the penultimate foreign minister of the [[East Germany|GDR]] and a member of the German [[Bundestag]].

==Early life==
Markus Meckel was born on 18 August 1952 in [[Müncheberg]], [[Brandenburg]]. He had to leave high school in 1969 for political reasons. From 1969 to 1971, he studied at ''Kirchenoberseminar Hermannswerder'', a boarding school operated by the church whose diploma allowed its students to study theology or sacred music only. From 1971 to 1978, Meckel studied theology in [[Naumburg]] and [[Berlin]].

==Political career==
Meckel had already been involved with domestic opposition to the East German Communist regime since the 1970s. In October 1989, he initiated the establishment of the [[Social Democratic Party in the GDR]] (SDP) together with Martin Gutzeit. From 23 February 1990 up to the merger with the West German SPD on 27 September 1990, he was deputy SDP party chairman. After the resignation of [[Ibrahim Böhme]], he was acting chairman from 26 March to 10 June 1990. 

In the GDR's first free elections in March 1990, Meckel was elected to Parliament. On 12 April 1990, he became the [[Minister of Foreign Affairs]] in the [[de Maizière cabinet|government]] of Prime Minister [[Lothar de Maizière]] ([[Christian Democratic Union (Germany)|CDU]]). In his term of office, he frequently worked with [[Hans Dietrich Genscher]], as he was one of the representatives of the two German states during the ''Two Plus Four Negotiations'' with the victors of the [[Second World War]] over a Final Peace Treaty.<ref>[https://www.orte-der-einheit.de/en/ministry-of-foreign-affairs-of-the-gdr ''Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the GDR: A New Beginning with Big Plans''.] In: [https://www.orte-der-einheit.de/en/ Sites of Unity] ([[Haus der Geschichte]]), 2022.</ref> It was this treaty which paved the way to the reunification of Germany.

On 20 August 1990, Meckel, together with the Social Democratic ministers, withdrew from the cabinet. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs was taken over by de Maizière himself.<ref name=dnews90>{{cite news|title=East Germany's foreign minister quits|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1696&dat=19900821&id=Y_gaAAAAIBAJ&pg=7067,3776349|access-date=12 September 2012|newspaper=Daily News|date=21 August 1990}}</ref>

After Germany was reunified on 3 October 1990, Meckel became a member of German Bundestag. From 1992 to 1994 he was spokesperson of the SPD parliamentary group in the historical commission on the aftermath of the SED dictatorship in Germany. From 1994 onwards, he served as one of the spokespeople for the SPD's delegation in a related group dealing with the effects of the East German dictatorship on the German process of reunification. 

In the Bundestag, Meckel focuses on European politics and German-Polish relations. Furthermore, since 1994 he is the chairman of the German-Polish Parliamentary Group. Since 1998 he is director/conductor of the German parliamentary delegation to NATO. From November 2000 until November 2002, he was vice-president of the parliamentary assembly of NATO.

Meckel is an advisory chairman of the Foundation for the Processing of the SED Dictatorship and besides member of the adviser of the Federal Authority for the Processing of GDR State Intelligence Files/BStU.

==Other activities==
* [[Walther Rathenau Institut|Walther Rathenau Institute]], Member of the Advisory Board<ref>[http://www.rathenau-stiftung.de/organisation/ Advisory Board] [[Walther Rathenau Institut|Walther Rathenau Institute]].</ref>
* [[:de:Global Panel Foundation|Global Panel Foundation]], Member of the Board of Directors

==Personal life==
Markus Meckel was married twice and has six children. He is involved with the charitable work of the Protestant Church.

==Awards and honours==
Markus Meckel has received several awards and honors in his life.
* 1995 [[Federal Cross of Merit|Order of Merit]] (First Class), Federal Republic of Germany
* 1998 Cavalier's Cross, Poland
* 2002 Prince Gediminas Award, Lithuania
* 2003 [[Viadrina European University|Viadrina]] Prize, Federal Republic of Germany
* 2004 Cross of the Terra Mariana, Republic of Estonia
* 2005 Three-Star Medal, Republic of Latvia
* 2020 The 20th [[Hanno R. Ellenbogen Citizenship Award]] along with [[Hans-Dietrich Genscher]], [[Ivan M. Havel|Ivan Havel]] and [https://www.memoryofnations.eu/en/chvatik-ivan-1941 Ivan Chvatik] commemorating the 30th Anniversary of the Fall of the [[Iron Curtain]] (jointly awarded by the [[Prague Society for International Cooperation|Prague Society]] and [[:de:Global Panel Foundation|Global Panel Foundation]])

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* [http://www.dhm.de/lemo/html/biografien/MeckelMarkus/index.html Timeline of Markus Meckel's life (in German)]

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[[Category:1952 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:People from Märkisch-Oderland]]
[[Category:Members of the Bundestag for Brandenburg]]
[[Category:Members of the Bundestag 2002–2005]]
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[[Category:Foreign ministers of East Germany]]
[[Category:Officers Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana, 2nd Class]]
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