Mihai Coșcodan (17 October 1940 – 29 April 2016) was a

Moldova Moldova, officially the Republic of Moldova, is a Landlocked country, landlocked country in Eastern Europe, with an area of and population of 2.42 million. Moldova is bordered by Romania to the west and Ukraine to the north, east, and south. ...

n university professor, scientist, and politician. He served as a member of the

Moldovan Parliament The parliament of the Republic of Moldova () is the supreme representative body of the Republic of Moldova, the only state legislative authority, being a unicameral structure composed of 101 elected MPs on lists, for a period or legislature of ...

from 1990 to 1994 and was one of the signatories of the

Declaration of Independence of Moldova __NOTOC__ The Declaration of Independence of the Republic of Moldova () was a document adopted on 27 August 1991 by the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova following the failure of the August coup attempt. Background The document claims "mi ...

Early life and education

Born on 17 October 1940 in Năpădeni, Ungheni district, in the former

Moldavian SSR The Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic or Moldavian SSR (, mo-Cyrl, Република Советикэ Сочиалистэ Молдовеняскэ), also known as the Moldovan Soviet Socialist Republic, Moldovan SSR, Soviet Moldavia, Sovie ...

, Coșcodan pursued higher education at the Tiraspol State Pedagogical Institute, specializing in geography and biology. He later earned a Ph.D. and became an associate professor. He began his academic career in 1965 as an assistant in the Department of General Geography at the State University of Tiraspol and continued his postgraduate studies at

Lviv University The Ivan Franko National University of Lviv (named after Ivan Franko, ) is a state-sponsored university in Lviv, Ukraine. Since 1940 the university is named after Ukrainian poet Ivan Franko. The university is the oldest institution of highe ...

Academic and political career

Coșcodan held various academic positions at the State University of Tiraspol, including head of the Department of General Geography and Cartography from 1970 to 1977 and dean of the Faculty of Geography from 1977 to 1987. He served as rector of the university from 1987 until 1992. His academic contributions were particularly significant in the fields of geography and environmental studies. In the political sphere, Mihai Coșcodan played a key role during the formative years of independent Moldova. Elected as a member of the first Parliament of the Republic of Moldova from 1990 to 1994, he was actively involved in the country's transition from Soviet rule. In addition to his parliamentary duties, he served as Deputy Prime Minister in the governments of

Valeriu Muravschi Valeriu Muravschi (31 July 1949 – 8 April 2020) was a Moldovan politician and businessman who served as the first prime minister of Moldova between 28 May 1991 and 1 July 1992. Early life and career Muravschi was born in Sirota, Orhei Distri ...

and

Andrei Sangheli Andrei Sangheli (born 20 July 1944) is a Moldovan politician. Sangheli was the second Prime Minister of Moldova from 1992 until 1997. He represented the Moldovenist group of the Agrarian Party of Moldova.George Berkin, "Secession blues", in ''N ...

between 1992 and 1994. Coșcodan's courage was also notable during the volatile period of the early 1990s. According to the newspaper ''Sovereign Moldova'', despite Transnistrian leader Igor Smirnov's prohibitions, Coșcodan, as rector of the Tiraspol Pedagogical Institute, ensured that a polling station was opened in

Tiraspol Tiraspol (, ; also /; , ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Transnistria, a breakaway state of Moldova, where it is the third-largest city. The city is located on the eastern bank of the Dniester River. Tiraspol is a regional hub of cul ...

during the presidential elections, demonstrating his commitment to democratic processes.

Diplomatic service and later career

After his parliamentary term, Coșcodan transitioned into diplomatic roles, serving as Moldova’s ambassador to

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

from 1994 to 1998. He also held ambassadorships to the

Federal Republic of Yugoslavia 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 ...

and the

Republic of Macedonia North Macedonia, officially the Republic of North Macedonia, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe. It shares land borders with Greece to the south, Albania to the west, Bulgaria to the east, Kosovo to the northwest and Serbia to the n ...

during this period. Following his diplomatic service, he returned to academia, joining the Free International University of Moldova as Deputy Rector and later taking on leadership roles at

Moldova State University Moldova State University (USM; Romanian language, Romanian: ''Universitatea de Stat din Moldova'') is a university located in Chișinău, Moldova. It was founded in 1946, and initially had five faculties, Physics and Mathematics, Geology and Ped ...

Honours

Order of the Republic (Moldova) The Order of the Republic () is Moldova's highest Order (decoration), order. It is awarded by the President of Moldova for exceptional merits in all fields which benefit Moldova and humanity as a whole. The order was established in July 1992 and i ...

No. 0377 * Medal "Meritul Civic" No. 00853 * Bulgaria, Order of the Madara Horseman, First Class, Decree No. 234 (07.07.1998) G Wiki: Носители на орден „Мадарски конник“ (Recipients of the "Madara Horseman" Order)

Main publications

# ''Опыт микроклиматической характеристики природных территориальных комплексов на примере Кодр (Молдавская ССР)'' (''Experience of Microclimatic Characteristics of Natural Territorial Complexes on the Example of Codri (Moldavian SSR)'')
Authors: М. Ф. Кошкодан
''Author's Abstract of PhD Dissertation'', Publisher: Lviv, 1971 # ''Климат. Молдавская ССР'' (''Climate. Moldavian SSR'')
Authors: Константинова Т. С., Дубовка Ф. В., Кошкодан М. Ф.
Publisher: Kishinev, 1979 # ''Природные условия Молдавской ССР и их хозяйственное значение: вопросы географии'' (''Natural Conditions of the Moldavian SSR and Their Economic Importance: Issues of Geography'')
Authors: М. Ф. Кошкодан, Institute of Pedagogy "T. Shevchenko"
Publisher: "Ştiinţa", 1988
,
Length: 89 pages # ''Resursele naturale ale Republicii Moldova'' (''Natural Resources of the Republic of Moldova'')
Authors: V. Sochircă, M. Coşcodan, T. Constantinov (AŞM), C. Mihailescu
Publisher: Î.E.P. „Ştiinţa”, Chişinău, 2006
Length: 184 pages

References

External links

Tiraspol State University

Cine au fost şi ce fac deputaţii primului Parlament din R. Moldova (1990-1994)?

Declaraţia deputaţilor din primul Parlament

Diplomatic Missions of Republic of Moldova Accredited Abroad
{{DEFAULTSORT:Coscodan, Mihai 1940 births Moldovan MPs 1990–1994 Cabinets of Moldova People from Ungheni District 2016 deaths