Dragiša Burzan (; born 13 September 1950) is a Montenegrin politician and diplomat. He served as Montenegrin ambassador to the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

from 2007 to 2010. Before that, he was the ambassador of

Serbia and Montenegro The State Union of Serbia and Montenegro or simply Serbia and Montenegro, known until 2003 as the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and commonly referred to as FR Yugoslavia (FRY) or simply Yugoslavia, was a country in Southeast Europe locate ...

to the UK from 2004 to 2006, as well as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Montenegro from 2003 to 2004.

Early life and education

Burzan attended school in

Titograd Podgorica ( cnr-Cyrl, Подгорица; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Montenegro, largest city of Montenegro. The city is just north of Lake Skadar and close to coastal destinations on the Adriatic Sea. Histor ...

, then part of

Yugoslavia , common_name = Yugoslavia , life_span = 1918–19921941–1945: World War II in Yugoslavia#Axis invasion and dismemberment of Yugoslavia, Axis occupation , p1 = Kingdom of SerbiaSerbia , flag_p ...

. He attended the

University of Montenegro The University of Montenegro () is a national public university of Montenegro. Its central administration and most of its constituent faculties are located in the country's capital Podgorica, with campuses in Nikšić, Cetinje, and Kotor. Its ...

, where he received a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...

electrical engineering Electrical engineering is an engineering discipline concerned with the study, design, and application of equipment, devices, and systems that use electricity, electronics, and electromagnetism. It emerged as an identifiable occupation in the l ...

, and went on to receive a

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...

nuclear physics Nuclear physics is the field of physics that studies atomic nuclei and their constituents and interactions, in addition to the study of other forms of nuclear matter. Nuclear physics should not be confused with atomic physics, which studies th ...

from the

University of Belgrade The University of Belgrade () is a public university, public research university in Belgrade, Serbia. It is the oldest and largest modern university in Serbia. Founded in 1808 as the Belgrade Higher School in revolutionary Serbia, by 1838 it me ...

and a Ph.D. in

theoretical physics Theoretical physics is a branch of physics that employs mathematical models and abstractions of physical objects and systems to rationalize, explain, and predict List of natural phenomena, natural phenomena. This is in contrast to experimental p ...

from the

University of Essex The University of Essex is a public university, public research university in Essex, England. Established by royal charter in 1965, it is one of the original plate glass university, plate glass universities. The university comprises three camp ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

. He became a professor at the University of Montenegro in the Department of Natural Sciences pursuing research in physics; he there from 1976 through 1998, although he became active in politics by the late 1980s.

Political career

In 1989, he founded Democratic Alternative, an association at the University of Montenegro promoting democratic reforms in what was then still Yugoslavia. In 1991, he was a member of Reform Forces of Yugoslavia, led by

Ante Marković Ante Marković ( sh-Cyrl, Анте Марковић, ; 25 November 1924 – 28 November 2011) was a Croatian and Yugoslav politician, businessman and engineer. He is most notable for having served as the last Prime Minister of Yugoslavia from 1 ...

, the last

Prime Minister of Yugoslavia The prime minister of Yugoslavia ( sh-Cyrl-Latn, Премијер Југославије, Premijer Jugoslavije) was the head of government of the Yugoslav state, from the creation of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes in 1918 until the ...

. In 1992, he was one of the founders of the

Social Democratic Party of Montenegro Social Democratic Party of Montenegro (; or just the Social Democratic Party, abbr. SDP) is a nationalist and social democratic political party in Montenegro. It is the only party in Montenegro to have full membership in the Socialist Internation ...

(SDP) and was elected to

Parliament In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

, where he served from 1992 through 1996. He also served as the SDP's International Secretary, a post he held continuously apart from an interruption from July 1994 to October 1995, and served as the vice-president of the party from 1996 to 2000. During his time in Parliament, he participated in and initiated numerous conferences, seminars, initiatives and networks aimed to end the various wars going on in the

Balkans The Balkans ( , ), corresponding partially with the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throug ...

at the time. He also organized and supported civil society initiatives in Montenegro and the Balkans in general, with an emphasis on human rights, including co-founding the weekly ''

Monitor Monitor or monitor may refer to: Places * Monitor, Alberta * Monitor, Indiana, town in the United States * Monitor, Kentucky * Monitor, Oregon, unincorporated community in the United States * Monitor, Washington * Monitor, Logan County, Wes ...

'' newsletter. In July 1998 he was appointed

Deputy Prime Minister of Montenegro The Deputy Prime Minister of Montenegro, officially Vice President of the Government of Montenegro (Montenegrin language, Montenegrin: ''Potpredsjednik Vlade Crne Gore''), is the official Deputy Prime Minister, Deputy of the Prime Minister of Mont ...

, a post he held until June 2001; his portfolio included the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Labor and Welfare, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Minor Nations, Ministry of Culture, Ministry of Sport, Secretariat of Information, Secretariat for International Culture and Science Cooperation, and Commissariat for Refugees, among others, and he served as the government's leader on refugee matters. Following this post, he was appointed Minister of Labor and Social Welfare from July 2001 through May 2002, at which point he was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs. He served as Ambassador of

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

from 2004 to 2006, as well as Montenegrin Ambassador to London from 2007 to 2010.

Personal life

Burzan is married, with two daughters and a son.

External links

Biography on Serbia and Montenegro Embassy website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Burzan, Dragisa 1950 births Living people Foreign ministers of Montenegro Diplomats from Podgorica Social Democratic Party of Montenegro politicians Alumni of the University of Essex University of Belgrade School of Electrical Engineering alumni Members of the Parliament of Montenegro Government ministers of Montenegro Ambassadors of Montenegro to the United Kingdom Deputy prime ministers of Montenegro