Alejandro Hamed Franco (26 February 1934 – 24 April 2023) Paraguayan politician who was appointed

foreign minister A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between cou ...

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

Fernando Lugo Fernando Armindo Lugo Méndez (; born 30 May 1951) is a Paraguayan politician and laicized Catholic bishop who was President of Paraguay from 2008 to 2012. Previously he was a Roman Catholic priest and bishop, serving as Bishop of the Diocese ...

, a term he served between 2008 and 2009. At the time of his death he was nominated to become the next Paraguayan ambassador to Uruguay.

Biography

Alejandro Hamed was born on 26 February 1934. He was of

Syrian Syrians ( ar, سُورِيُّون, ''Sūriyyīn'') are an Eastern Mediterranean ethnic group indigenous to the Levant. They share common Levantine Semitic roots. The cultural and linguistic heritage of the Syrian people is a blend of both indi ...

origin. Hamed died on 24 April 2023, at the age of 89.

Political career

In 2008, he was controversially appointed the Foreign Minister of Paraguay by incoming president Fernando Lugo. The United States had him on a blacklist from entering their country or flying on one of their aircraft. After leaving the post in 2009, he was ambassador to Venezuela. As of 2010, he was nominated to become the ambassador to Uruguay.

Foreign policy

Hamed was said to have "expressed sympathy" for

Hugo Chávez Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías (; 28 July 1954 – 5 March 2013) was a Venezuelan politician who was president of Venezuela from 1999 until his death in 2013, except for a brief period in 2002. Chávez was also leader of the Fifth Republ ...

, and been an advocate of the

Palestinian cause Palestinian nationalism is the national movement of the Palestinian people that espouses self-determination and sovereignty over the region of Palestine.de Waart, 1994p. 223 Referencing Article 9 of ''The Palestinian National Charter of 1968' ...

(a move that caused consternation in the United States). During his tenure as foreign minister, there were concerns that Paraguay would break ties with Taiwan in favour of China, this was controversial because Paraguay was the only country in South America to recognise Taiwan. During a visit to Jordan, he discussed with his counterpart the Middle East process. He has also visited Qatar. During a visit to Iran, he told his counterpart that Paraguay was willing to make "mature economic, industrial and agricultural cooperation with Iran." He also said Paraguay would support Venezuela's entry into

Mercosur The Southern Common Market, commonly known by Spanish abbreviation Mercosur, and Portuguese Mercosul, is a South American trade bloc established by the Treaty of Asunción in 1991 and Protocol of Ouro Preto in 1994. Its full members are Argentina ...

. After

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...

's inauguration as US president he said Lugo hoped ties with the US would be secure, particularly in the economic field. Hamed also signed an agreement with the US ambassador to Paraguay,

Liliana Ayalde Liliana Ayalde (born March 1956) is the former United States Ambassador to Brazil and was previously the Deputy Assistant Secretary (DAS) for the United States State Department with responsibility for the Offices of Caribbean Affairs, Central Ame ...

, to amend the ''Narcotics and Money Laundering Agreement''. The new agreement would be used to combat drug trafficking with the US offering US$253,000.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hamed, Alejandro 1934 births 2023 deaths Paraguayan historians Foreign ministers of Paraguay Ambassadors of Paraguay to Uruguay Ambassadors of Paraguay to Venezuela Universidad Nacional de Asunción alumni Paraguayan people of Syrian descent Politicians from Asunción