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Germany confirms new ambassador to Russia

June 21, 2023

Free Democrat lawmaker Alexander Graf Lambsdorff comes from a family of aristocrats and civil servants. He is due to begin his new post in the summer, as Moscow has approved his appointment.

https://p.dw.com/p/4Srj7
Alexander Graf Lambsdorff (Germany's ambassador-designate to Russia) speaking at the Federal Academy for Security Policy, in Berlin.
Lambsdorff has served several posts within the German Foreign ServiceImage: Dmytro Katkov/DW

The German government has announced the appointment of a new ambassador in Moscow after securing the approval of the Russian government.

Alexander Graf Lambsdorff will be succeeding Geza Andreas von Geyr, who has occupied the post since 2019.

"The entry into service is scheduled for this summer," a spokesman for the German Foreign Ministry said.

Leading Germany's diplomatic mission in Russia has become among the most complicated posts since Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine last year.

Earlier this year, Russia expelled a number of German diplomats, claiming the move was in response to a similar one from Berlin.

Russia expels German diplomats

Who is Alexander Graf Lambsdorff?

The new ambassador hails from a family of aristocrats. Moreover, his uncle Otto Graf Lambsdorff was a long-serving minister and a seasoned politician in the 1970s and 1980s.

Like his uncle, Lambsdorff is also a member and leading figure in the neoliberal Free Democrats (FDP).

He is currently a member of the Bundestag, where he holds the post of deputy leader of the FDP's parliamentary party.

The 56-year-old has previously occupied several posts within the German Foreign Service, including serving in the press department in Washington and becoming a member of the European Parliament.

Between 2003 and 2004, Lambsdorff served as an expert on Russian affairs within the foreign service.

rmt/rt (AFP, dpa)

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