The late Krzysztof Skubiszewski.

Krzysztof Skubiszewski, the first Foreign Minister of Poland's Third Republic, passed away today in Warsaw at 83 years of age.

Professor Skubiszewski, foreign minister between 1989-1993, is renowned for initiating Polish-German reconciliation. The then-Foreign Minister oversaw the signing of a border treaty with Germany in 1990 and the Polish-German good neighbour treaty in 1991.

As the first head of Polish diplomacy after the fall of communism, Skubiszewski laid the foundations for the Weimar Triangle, a cooperation of France, German and Poland, created to strengthen Poland’s position in Europe.

After Skubiszewski left office in 1993, he took up a post as head of the Iran-US International Claims Tribunal in the Hague.

In reaction to Skubiszewski's death, Poland's current Foreign Minister, Radoslaw Sikorski, told TVN24 news Monday afternoon that "he was a god-father to a new generation of people from Solidarity who entered the diplomatic corps in a free country", adding that Skubiszewski made Poland "a partner to resolve problems, not create them" in the world of international diplomacy.

The late Skubiszewski was an international law scholar, decorated with the Order of the White Eagle, Poland’s highest state distinction, and the German Federal Cross of Merit, among other such honours. (mmj/jb)

Sources: PAP/tvn24