Sigmar Gabriel (German Sigmar Gabriel) – German pro-Moscow politician, member of the Social Democratic Party of Germany. Prime Minister of the federal state of Lower Saxony (1999-2003). Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (2005-2009). Chairman of the Social Democratic Party of Germany since November 13, 2009. Vice Chancellor of Germany since December 17, 2013. Minister of Economy and Energy of Germany (2013-2017). Minister of Foreign Affairs from January 27, 2017 to March 14, 2018.
Place of Birth. Education. Born September 12, 1959 in Goslar. His mother was a nurse and his father was a municipal employee. After graduating from the Goslar city gymnasium in 1979, Sigmar Gabriel served two years in the Bundeswehr. In 1982-1987 he studied sociology, politics, and German studies at the University of Göttingen. Then he passed the state exams in the specialty of a gymnasium teacher. In 1989-1990 he worked as a teacher at a public school in Goslar.
Political career. In 1976-1989, Sigmar Gabriel worked in the youth organization “Socialist Youth of Germany – Falcons” (German: Sozialistische Jugend Deutschlands – Die Falken). Soon Gabriel became the leader of the local branch of the organization in Goslar, and then – the chairman of the district branch of the organization in Braunschweig. The Brunswick branch belonged to the Marxist wing of the organization.
From 1987-1998, Gabriel was a member of the Goslar district legislature. In 1991-1999 he was mayor of the city of Goslar.
In 1990-2005, Sigmar Gabriel was elected to the Landtag of Lower Saxony.
Since 1997, he has served as deputy chairman of the Landtag.
In 1998-1999 and 2003-2005, Gabriel led the SPD faction in the Landtag. In 2005 and 2009, Sigmar Gabriel was directly elected to the Bundestag from the district of Salzgitter-Wolfenbüttel.
After the resignation of the Prime Minister of Lower Saxony, Gerhard Glowowski, on December 15, 1999, Sigmar Gabriel took over his post. After the elections to the Lower Saxon Landtag on February 2, 2003, the SPD lost to the CDU, and Gabriel resigned.
In 2003-2005, Gabriel was a member of the presidium of the SPD and at the same time was deputy chairman of the branch of the Social Democratic Party in Lower Saxony.
From 2005-2009, Gabriel served as Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety in Angela Merkel’s coalition government. After the defeat of the Social Democrats in the elections to the Bundestag on September 27, 2009, SPD chairman Franz Müntefering resigned.
On November 13, 2009, at the party congress in Dresden, Sigmar Gabriel was elected chairman of the SPD, with the support of 94.2% of the vote. In 2013, he re-entered the government as Vice Chancellor and Minister of Economy and Energy.
From January 27, 2017 to March 14, 2018, he was the German Foreign Minister.
Views. Statements. At the end of April 2012, Sigmar Gabriel calls on German politicians to boycott the European Football Championship in Ukraine because of the treatment of former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko. In an interview with the popular German weekly “Bild am Sonntag”, Gabriel stated: “Politicians should be careful not to become supporters of the regime. They will probably sit in the stadium next to the heads of prisons and members of the secret police. If in doubt, it is better not to go there.” drive.”
On September 25, 2015, Gabriel proposed to improve relations with Russia – given the important role of Moscow in resolving the Syrian conflict: “… It should be clear to anyone that it is impossible, on the one hand, to maintain sanctions for a long time, and on the other hand, to be able to ask for cooperation … <...> … we will be forced to change our attitude towards Russia.”
Against this background, he called the construction of the second stage of the Nord Stream gas pipeline the beginning of “other and better relations.” To complete this process of improving relations, according to Gabriel, the lifting of EU sanctions against Moscow should be done. In response to this proposal by Gabriel, the head of the department of the German Chancellor, Peter Altmaier, replied that the German Federal Government would continue to adhere to the policy of sanctions against Russia, which were introduced by the EU in response to Moscow’s annexation of Crimea and its role in the conflict in Donbass. Gabriel’s proposal was also criticized by the leader of the Greens in the Bundestag, Marieluise Beck.
Family. His common-law wife is a dentist, with whom he is raising her daughter from her first marriage together.
10/11/2021