New Swiss ambassadors
Bern, 01.07.2015 - A number of staff changes have been announced for several Swiss representations abroad and at the head office of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs. The changes will take place in 2015 as part of the usual transfer rotation and on the basis of appointments made by the Federal Council. The appointment of heads of mission abroad becomes effective following approval by the respective host state.
Olaf Kjelsen, currently ambassador and head of cross-border cooperation at the Europe, Central Asia, Council of Europe, OSCE Division (ECACOD) of the Directorate of Political Affairs in Bern, will in addition to this function become the ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to the Principality of Liechtenstein, with residence in Bern.
Philipp Stalder, currently deputy head of mission in Athens, will become the new ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to the Republic of Azerbaijan and to Turkmenistan, based in Baku.
Helene Budliger Artieda, currently ambassador and director of the DR within the FDFA in Bern, from September 2015 ambassador to the Republic of South Africa, the Republic of Botswana, the Kingdom of Lesotho, the Republic of Mauritius, the Republic of Namibia and the Kingdom of Swaziland, will now also be ambassador to the Southern African Development Community (SADC) in Gaborone, based in Pretoria.
François Pythoud, currently the head of international sustainable agriculture at the Federal Office for Agriculture (FOAG), EAER, has received the title of ambassador for his appointment as the head of the Permanent Representation of Switzerland to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the World Food Programme (WFP) in Rome.
Address for enquiries
FDFA Information
+41 58 462 31 53
info@eda.admin.ch
Publisher
The Federal Council
https://www.admin.ch/gov/en/start.html
Federal Department of Foreign Affairs
https://www.eda.admin.ch/eda/en/home.html
