Maleski was born on 14 November 1946 in Skopje, then in
FPR Yugoslavia. He is a son of
Vlado Maleski, who wrote the lyrics of the
Macedonian national anthem. Denko Maleski received his Master of Laws from the University of St. Cyril and Methodius in Skopje in 1977, then his PhD in International Relations from the
University of Ljubljana in 1981. In 1985, he was elected Dean of the Faculty of Interdisciplinary Studies and Journalism at the University of Skopje. During 1990–91, Maleski was a visiting Fulbright professor at
Bowling Green University in
Ohio, USA. During 1998–99, he led a research program at the
Woodrow Wilson Center for International Studies at
Princeton University, USA. Denko Maleski was the first
foreign minister of then Republic of Macedonia from 1991 to 1993, and ambassador to the
United Nations, from 1993 to 1997. He is a professor at the Law Faculty at the University of Skopje and the director of the postgraduate studies of "International Politics and International Law". He is the author of numerous scientific publications, articles and essays. ==Views==