Union of Right Forces National Liberal Party
Which party was Varujan Vosganian a member of between Feb 1996 and Jul 1998?
Varujan Vosganian Varujan Vosganian ( ; , born on 25 July 1958 ) is a Romanian politician , economist , essayist and poet of Armenian origin . Vosganian was Romanias Minister of Economy and Commerce ( 2006–2008 ) in the Tăriceanu cabinet and Minister of Economy in the Ponta cabinet ( 2012–2013 ) . He is the President of The Union of Armenians in Romania ( UAR , 1990–present ) and the Prime-vice president of the Union of Writers in Romania ( 2005–present ) . His books have been translated into more than 20 languages . Biography . Varujan Vosganian was born in Craiova to a family of Armenian ethnicity . His grandparents were survivors of the genocide against Armenian people which took place in the Ottoman Empire in 1915 . Vosganian studied at the Alexandru Ioan Cuza High School in Focșani . He then studied Commerce at the Bucharest Academy of Economic Studies ( graduated 1982 ) and Mathematics at the University of Bucharest ( graduated 1991 ) , gaining a Ph.D . in economics in 1998 . After participating in the Romanian Revolution in 1989 , he has been a member of the Romanian Parliament since the first free elections in 1990 . In 1990 , he became president of The Union of Armenians in Romania and he was twice ( 1990–1992 and 1992–1996 ) elected a member of the Chamber of Deputies , and a Senator ( 1996–2000 , on the lists of the Union of Right Forces , and 2004–2016 , on the lists of the National Liberal Party ) . Between 1996 and 2003 , he was the leader of the Union of Right Forces ( Uniunea Forţelor de Dreapta ) , a right wing liberal party , which eventually merged into the National Liberal Party ( PNL ) in 2003 . Having served as minister for Economy and Finance between 2006 and 2008 , Vosganian was minister of commerce from 2012 to 2013 . Since 2016 , he has been a member of the Chamber of Deputies on the lists of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe ( ALDE ) . Along with non-fiction works on economics , Vosganian has also published many essays and literary texts , such as a volume of poems , short stories and novels . The international recognition came with The Book of Whispers ( 2009 ) , translated in more than twenty languages . Presented in different events ( public lectures , essays , workshops , screenings and dramatisations ) in more than forty countries from all the continents , The Book of Whispers became the book-symbol against the crime of genocide . Vosganian speaks Armenian , Romanian , English , French , Italian , and Spanish . Prizes and awards . Literary prizes and awards - Prize of the Association of Writers in Bucharest for the best prose of the year – 1994 - Great Prize for Poetry Nichita Stănescu ( Chișinău , Republic of Moldavia ) – 2006 - Prize for the best book of the year , awarded by the Romania Literară literary magazine ( 2009 ) - Prize for the best prose of the year , awarded by Convorbiri Literare literary magazine ( 2009 ) - Prize for the best prose of the year , awarded by the Romanian Academy , 2009 - Prize for the best prose of the year and the Prize of readers , awarded by Observatorul Cultural Magazine ( 2010 ) - Prize for the best prose of the year , awarded by Viața Românească Literary Magazine – 2010 - Prize for the best prose of the year awarded by Argeș literary magazine ( 2010 ) - Nomination for the best prose of the year – Union of Writers in Romania ( 2009,2013 ) - Niram Art Prize for poetry Tristan Tzara and for prose Mihail Sebastian , awarded by Niram Art Foundation , Madrid , 2010 - Nomination for the best translation of the year , Leipzig Bookfair , 2014 - The Angelus Award , The Prize of the Readers Natalia Gorbanevskaia and The Prize for the best translation of the year , Wrocław , 2016 Other Awards : - Doctor Honoris Causa , awarded by Vasile Goldis University of Arad , 2006 - Romanian Academy Award for the contribution to the development of Romanian science and culture , 2006 - Gold Medal for Culture , awarded by the Government of Armenia , 2006 , 2013 - Order Nerses Shnorhali awarded by the Catholicos of the Armenian Apostolic Church , 2006 - Ordine della Solidarieta Italiana awarded by President Giorgio Napolitano of Republic of Italy , 2008 - Order Cilician Knight awarded by the Great House of Cilicia Catholicosate , 2008 - St . Andrews Cross , awarded by the Romanian Patriarchate , 2008 - Medal Movses Khorenatzi awarded by President Serge Sarksian of Republic of Armenia , 2011 - Medal William Saroyan awarded by the Government of Armenia , 2012 Publications . Economics . - Jurnalul de front : articole economice , Bucharest , Staff , 1994 ; - Contradicțiile tranziției la o economie de piață , Bucharest , Expert , 1994 ; - Reforma piețelor financiare din România , Iași , Polirom , 1999 . Literature . - Copiii războiului ( The Children of War ) , novel , Polirom , 2016 - Cartea poemelor mele nescrise ( The Book of my Unwritten Poems ) , poems , Cartea Românească , 2015 – around 2500 books sold - Jocul celor o sută de frunze și alte povestiri ( The Game of Hundred Leaves and Other Stories ) , stories , Polirom , 2013 – around 3500 copies sold - Cartea șoaptelor ( The Book of Whispers ) , novel , Polirom , Iasi , 2009 , 2012 – more than 60.000 copies sold - Iisus cu o mie de brațe ( Jesus with a Thousand Arms ) , poems , Dacia , 2005 - Ochiul cel alb al reginei ( The White Eye of the Queen ) , poems , bilingual ( Romanian – English ) Cartea Romaneasca , 2001 - Statuia Comandorului ( The Statue of Commander ) , stories , Ararat , 1994 - Șamanul Albastru ( The Blue Shaman ) volume of poems , Ararat , 1994 Translations : - A kék sámán ( Șamanul Albastru ) , AB – ART ( 2009 ) , poems , Hungarian translation - El libro de los susurros ( Cartea șoaptelor ) , Pre – Textos ( 2010 ) , Spanish translation by Joaquin Garrigos - Il libro dei sussurri ( Cartea șoaptelor ) , Kellerdi Rovereto Trento ( 2011 ) , Italian translation by Anita Natascia Bernacchia - Șșukneri Matian ( Cartea șoaptelor ) , Writers Union of Armenia ( 2012 ) , Antares ( 2014 , second edition ) , Armenian translation by Sergiu Selian - Sefer Halehishot ( Cartea șoaptelor ) , Hakibbutz Hameuchad ( 2012 ) , Hebrew translation by Any Shilon - Le livre des chuchotements ( Cartea șoaptelor ) , Editions des Syrtes ( 2013 ) , French translation by Laure Hinckel și Marily Le Nir - Viskningarnas bok ( Cartea șoaptelor ) , 2244 ( 2013 ) , Swedish translation by Inger Johansson - Buch des Flüsterns ( Cartea șoaptelor ) , Zsolnay Verlag ( 2013 ) , Büchergilde Gutemberg ( 2015 ) , German translation by Ernest Wichner - Proșepnata kniga ( Cartea șoaptelor ) , Avangard Print ( 2013 ) , Bulgarian translation by Vanina Bojikova - Suttogások könyve ( Cartea șoaptelor ) , Orpheusz ( 2014 ) , Hungarian translation by Zsolt Karácsony - Livro dos Sussuros ( Cartea șoaptelor ) , Digital edition ( 2015 ) , Portuguese translation by Ernest Wichner - Pecipeci name ( Cartea șoaptelor ) , Ketabe Miamak ( 2015 ) , Persan translation by Garoon Sarkisean - Księga szeptów ( Cartea șoaptelor ) , Książkowe Klimaty ( 2015 ) , Polish translation by Joanna Kornaś-Warwas - Het Boek der Fluisteringen ( Cartea șoaptelor ) , Uitgeverij Pegasus ( 2015 ) , Dutch translation Jan Willem Bos - Kniha šepotů ( Cartea șoaptelor ) , Havran ( 2016 ) , Czech translation by Jarmila Horakova - Igra na sto lista i drugi razkazi ( Jocul celor o sută de frunze și alte povestiri ) , SONM ( 2016 ) , Bulgarian translation by Vanina Bojikova - Das Spiel der hundert Blätter ( Jocul celor o sută de frunze și alte povestiri ) , Zsolnay Verlag ( 2016 ) , German translation by Ernest Wichner - Hviskingenes bok ( Cartea șoaptelor ) , Bokvennen ( 2017 ) , Norwegian translation by Steinar Lone - Knjiga šapata ( Cartea șoaptelor ) , Sandorf ( 2017 ) , Croatian translation by Ana Brnardic Oproiu and Adrian Oproiu - The Book of Whispers ( Cartea șoaptelor ) , Yale University Press ( 2017 ) , English translation by Alistair Ian Blyth To be published in 2017–2018 : - Laguna Publishing House , Serbian translation of The Book of Whispers - V.Books – XXI , Ukrainian Translation of The Book of Whispers The Book of Whispers Other . - Founding member of the Romanian Society of Economy ( SOREC ) - Member of the Board of International Experts of the Centre for European Policy Studies based in Brussels ( 1992–1995 ) - Honorary member of the Scientific Council of the National Institute of Economic Foresight - Senior Researcher of the National Institute of Economics in Romania - Honorary Member of The Romanian Chamber of Commerce References . - CV at Varujan Vosganians site - Varujan Vosganian , comisar european , in Evenimentul Zilei , 25 October 2006