Former Romanian Intelligence Chief Honors Late MI6 Head Alex Younger

Eduard Hellvig, the former director of Romania's domestic intelligence service (SRI), has shared poignant reflections on the late Sir Alex Younger, who led Britain's MI6 for nearly six years. Younger passed away on June 2, aged 62, following a battle with cancer.

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He spent almost his entire career in the British secret service with professionalism and discretion, almost in defiance of the flamboyant role that cinema traditionally attributes to him.

Hellvig described Younger, whom he first met in Bucharest in 2015 shortly after both men took leadership roles, as a consummate professional. He recalled Younger's dedication to ensuring continued cooperation between their services, regardless of the Brexit vote's outcome. Hellvig characterized Younger as cordial, direct, and possessing a charisma that made dialogue a pleasure, emphasizing his commitment to serving his country and profession without rigidity.

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I met Alex in Bucharest in 2015. He had recently become director, as had I, and he came to Romania in the midst of the Brexit campaign to ensure that, whatever the outcome of the vote, our services would continue to cooperate.

The former SRI chief further elaborated on Younger's character, stating he was far from the flamboyant spy often depicted in films. Instead, Hellvig saw him as the closest real-life embodiment of an intelligence hero, whose work required no explosions or gadgets, but rather a deep understanding of complex geopolitical realities. Hellvig specifically noted Younger's insights gained from the Yugoslav wars, which provided him with a ground-level understanding of the Balkans.

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Alex was the kind of professional who quickly identified problems and defined them clearly and precisely. He had a way of being, cordial and direct, that analysts would call charisma. In fact, it was a permanent joy to dialogue with him, to serve his country and profession, in ways and tones that were never rigid or conventional.

Hellvig also underscored Younger's personal support for the SRI's institutional transformation and their collaboration on sensitive Central and Eastern European matters. He suggested that Romania may never fully grasp the extent of its benefit from Younger's friendship, but affirmed that his engagement with Eastern Europe was significant, characterized by efficiency, warmth, and discreet loyalty. Younger's nuanced understanding of Romania and its region surpassed that of many other Europeans, Hellvig concluded.

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Romania will never know with certainty if and to what extent it benefited from the friendship of such a man. But I know enough to say that the East was not indifferent to him and that his friendship was efficient, cordial, and discreetly loyal. He personally supported the entire institutional transformation process of the SRI and we worked together on some of the delicate files of Central and Eastern Europe, with indirect echoes in both Romania and the UK.