Former Prime Minister of Hungary, he was Under Secretary of State in the Ministry for Foreign Affairs until 1989 and Minister for Foreign Affairs (1989-90). One of the founders of the MSZP (Hungarian Socialist Party), he became its Chairman in 1990; from 1990 to 1993 he was Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee for Foreign Affairs and then, from 1994, Prime Minister. He received the gold medal from the Stresemann Society for achievements in foreign affairs, the international Karl Prize for work towards European unification and the Grand Cross of the Federal Republic of Germany.