New ambassadors of Switzerland

Bern, 04.11.2015 - 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 in 2016. The changes will take place as part of the usual transfer rotation and on the basis of appointments made by the Federal Council. The appointments of heads of mission become effective following approval by the respective host states. The Federal Council thanks those ambassadors entering retirement for their services.

Marcel Stutz, currently head of mission in Canberra, will become the new ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to the Republic of Cuba and in Jamaica, based in Havana.

Pedro Zwahlen, currently head of mission (job sharing) in San José, accredited to the Republic of El Salvador, the Republic of Nicaragua and the Republic of Panama, will become the new ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to Australia. Pedro Zwahlen will exercise the function of head of mission in Canberra through job sharing with his wife, Yasmine Chatila Zwahlen.

Yasmine Chatila Zwahlen, currently head of mission (job sharing) in San José will become the new ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to the Republic of Kiribati, the Republic of Nauru, the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and the Republic of Vanuatu, based in Canberra. Yasmine Chatila Zwahlen will exercise the function of head of mission in Canberra through job sharing with her husband, Pedro Zwahlen.

Mirko Giulietti, currently deputy head of mission in Nairobi will become the new ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to the Republic of Costa Rica, the Republic of El Salvador, the Republic of Nicaragua and the Republic of Panama, based in San José.

Krystyna Marty Lang, currently head of mission in Pristina, will become the new ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to the Russian Federation, succeeding Ambassador Pierre Helg, who will retire.

Jean-Hubert Lebet, currently head of mission in Bucarest, will become the new ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to the Republic of Kosovo.

Urs Herren, currently head of mission in Kathmandu, will become the new ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to the Republic of Romania.

Jörg Frieden, currently the executive director of the World Bank Group (IBRD) in Washington, will become the new ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal.


Heinrich Maurer, currently head of mission in Sarajevo, will become the new ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to the Republic of Finland, succeeding Ambassador Maurice Darier, who will retire.

Andrea Rauber Saxer, until recently deputy head of mission with the Swiss delegation to the OSCE in Vienna, will become the new ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Roger Denzer, currently head of the Staff of the Directorate at the SDC in Bern, will become the new ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to the Plurinational State of Bolivia, succeeding Ambassador Peter Bischof, who will retire.

Siri Walt, currently deputy head of mission in Tunis will become the new ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Republic of Congo and the Gabonese Republic, based in Kinshasa, succeeding Ambassador Jacques Gremaud, who will retire.

Linus von Castelmur, currently head of mission in New Delhi, will become the new ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to the Republic of Korea, succeeding Jörg Alois Reding, who will retire.

Andreas Baum, currently head of mission in Tel Aviv, will become the new ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to the Republic of India and the Kingdom of Bhutan, based in New Delhi.

Jean-Daniel Ruch, currently head of mission in Belgrade, will become the new ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to the State of Israel.

Philippe Guex, head of the Americas Division in the Directorate of Political Affairs in Bern will become the new ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to the Republic of Serbia and Montenegro, based in Belgrade.

Bénédict de Cerjat, until recently ambassador to the Kingdom of Belgium and head of the Permanent Mission of Switzerland to NATO in Brussels, currently chargé d’affaires ad interim in Caracas, has been appointed head of the Americas Division in the Directorate of Political Affairs in Bern. In order to carry out his new function, the Federal Council has conferred on him the title of ambassador.

Alain-Denis Henchoz, currently head of mission in Asunción, will become the new ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to the Kingdom of Norway and the Republic of Iceland, based in Oslo, succeeding Ambassador Rudolf Knoblauch, who will retire.

Alexandre Fasel, currently head of the Permanent Mission of Switzerland to the United Nations Office and other international organisations in Geneva (with the title of ambassador), will become the new deputy state secretary and deputy political director (with the title of ambassador) in the State Secretariat of the FDFA in Bern.

Valentin Zellweger, currently director (with the title of ambassador) of the Directorate of International Law and legal advisor to the FDFA in Bern, will become the new head (with the title of ambassador) of the Permanent Mission of Switzerland to the United Nations Office and other
international organisations in Geneva.

Roberto Balzaretti, currently ambassador and head of the mission of Switzerland to the European Union, and representative of Switzerland in the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom) in Brussels will become director (with the title of ambassador) of the Directorate of International Law in Bern. He will at the same time become legal advisor to the FDFA.

Urs Bucher, currently head of mission in Tokyo, will become the new ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary and head of the mission of Switzerland to the European Union, as well as the representative of Switzerland in the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom) in Brussels.

Jean-François Paroz, currently head of mission in Budapest, will become the new ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to Japan.

Peter Burkhard, currently head (with the title of ambassador) of the OSCE mission to Serbia in Belgrade, will become the new ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to Hungary.

Frank Grütter, currently deputy head of mission in London, has been appointed head of the Division for Security Policy in the Directorate of Political Affairs in Bern. In order to carry out his new function, the Federal Council has conferred on him the title of ambassador.

Mauro Reina, currently head of mission in Astana, has been appointed head of protocol in the FDFA State Secretariat in Bern. In order to carry out his new function, the Federal Council has conferred on him the title of ambassador.

Urs Schmid, currently deputy head of the Multilateral Affairs Division and deputy permanent representative of Switzerland to the United Nations Office and other international organisations, permanent representative to the Conference on Disarmament and special representative of Switzerland to the Human Rights Council in Geneva, will become the new ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Republic of Tajikistan, based in Astana.
 
Sabrina Dallafior Matter, currently deputy head of the Human Security Division, has been appointed head of the Multilateral Affairs Division, deputy permanent representative of Switzerland to the United Nations Office and other international organisations, permanent representative to the Conference on Disarmament and special representative of Switzerland to the Human Rights Council in Geneva. In order to carry out her new function, the Federal Council has conferred on her the title of ambassador.

Ralf Heckner, currently head of mission in Nairobi, is additionally to be accredited to the Federal Republic of Somalia, based in Nairobi, succeeding Ambassador Dominik Langenbacher, who will retire.

Didier Pfirter, currently head of mission in Montevideo, is to be additionally accredited to the Republic of Paraguay, based in Montevideo, due to the closure of the embassy in Asunción.

Daniela Stoffel Delprete, currently diplomatic adviser at the OECD in Paris, has been appointed diplomatic adviser in the State Secretariat for International Financial Matters at the Federal Department of Finance in Bern. In order to carry out her new function, the Federal Council has conferred on her the title of ambassador.


Address for enquiries

Information FDFA
Bundeshaus West
CH-3003 Bern
Tel.: +41 58 462 31 53
Fax: +41 58 464 90 47
E-Mail: 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

https://www.admin.ch/content/gov/en/start/documentation/media-releases.msg-id-59335.html