Paul Markowski

Paul Markowski (born June 1, 1929 in Magdeburg ; † March 6, 1978 at Wadi Suf al-Jin in Libya ) was an SED functionary in the GDR and most recently the Central Committee department head for international relations.

Life

Youth and education

Paul Markowski attended secondary school in Magdeburg until his Abitur in 1948 and studied linguistics at the University of Rostock and the Humboldt University in Berlin until 1951 . In 1949 he joined the FDJ , was a candidate in 1950 and a member of the SED in 1952. In 1951 he was in the committee for the preparation of the III. World Youth Festival , where he was employed as an interpreter. Markowski spoke English, French, Russian and Spanish in addition to his native German.

Political career

1951–1953 he studied political science at the German Academy of Administration and the German Academy for Political Science and Law in Potsdam . 1953–1964 he was an instructor or sector manager in the Foreign Policy and International Relations Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 1961–1962 he studied at the party college of the CPSU in Moscow .

1964–1966 he was deputy or department head of the International Relations Department of the SED Central Committee, a candidate since 1967 and a member of the Central Committee and a member of the Foreign Policy Commission of the Politburo of the SED Central Committee and a member of the People's Chamber , there as a member of the Foreign Affairs Commission.

Deadly accident in Libya

tomb

Paul Markowski visited Libya in March 1978 as part of a trip to Africa . This involved negotiations with the Libyan government about the granting of loans and an agreement that provided for Libya to finance technology exports from the GDR to third countries. He also negotiated with Muammar al-Gaddafi in a tent camp . Due to his accidental death, the agreements were never implemented consistently.

On the way back from the tent camp to Tripoli , according to Libyan information, the helicopter with the delegation on board went into a tailspin and crashed. No crew member survived. The cause was probably a defect in the rotor. Whether it was an attack or an accident has not yet been clarified exactly. Maybe the attack - if it was - Gaddafi himself. The Politburo member Werner Lamberz , the interpreter Armin Ernst and the photo reporter Hans-Joachim Spremberg died with Markowski .

Paul Markowski's urn was buried in the memorial of the socialists in the central cemetery Friedrichsfelde in Berlin-Lichtenberg .

Honors

Paul Markowski was in 1965 and 1973 with the patriotic earnings and 1969 with the Banner of Labor awarded. The city of Magdeburg had temporarily named a square ( Paul-Markowski-Platz ) after him.

literature

• Monika Kaiser, Helmut Müller-Enbergs :  Markowski, Paul . In: Who was who in the GDR? 5th edition. Volume 2. Ch. Links, Berlin 2010, ISBN 978-3-86153-561-4 .