The Washington Diplomat

Appointments - December 2007

Denmark
Eva Gramby assumed the position of counselor (development cooperation) on Aug. 1, replacing Jette Lund.

Torsten Jansen assumed the position of minister counselor for the Press, Culture and Information Department on Sept. 1, replacing Lene Balleby, who departed the post on Aug. 31.

Soren Falk-Portved assumed the position of defense, military, naval and air attaché and head of the Defense Section to the United States and to Canada on Aug. 1, replacing Per Jan Larsen.

Christian Stenberg assumed the position of first secretary in the Economic Department on Sept. 1, replacing Morten Bak-Sorensen.

Latvia
Andrejs Pildegovics became ambassador of Latvia to the United States on July 25. Ambassador Pildegovics previously served as chief of staff in the Chancery of the President of Latvia (2006-07) as well as foreign policy advisor to the president (2000-06). He has also held several postings in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, including head of the Middle East and Africa Division (1999-2000), press secretary (1996-98), and assistant to the state secretary (1995-96). Ambassador Pildegovics studied Chinese history at the University of St. Petersburg, in addition to studies at the Beijing Foreign Languages Institute, Stanford University’s Hoover Institution and Oxford University’s Foreign Service Program. He is married with three children.

Ambassador Vimont holds a law degree and is a graduate of the Institute of Political Studies and the National School of Administration (ENA).

Kazakhstan
Erlan Idrissov became ambassador of Kazakhstan to the United States on July 11, having previous served as ambassador to Norway, Sweden and Ireland, with residency in London. Ambassador Idrissov was also Kazakhstan’s minister of foreign affairs since 1999 as well as the first vice minister of foreign affairs (1997-99). In addition, he was assistant to the president of Kazakhstan on international issues (1996-97), head of the America Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (1995-96), and first secretary at the Kazakh Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York (1992-95). Ambassador Idrissov studied at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations and holds a master’s of fine arts degree in international relations from the Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the U.S.S.R. He speaks English, Urdu, Hindi and French, and is married to Nurilla Anarbekovna Idrissova with three children.

Mauritania
Ibrahima Dia became ambassador of Mauritania to the United States on Sept. 17. Ambassador Dia previously served as an expert in the field of good governance and corruption in the Bureau of the U.N. for West Africa in Dakar, Senegal, as well as political adviser to the Mauritania Special Representation of the U.N. General-Secretary in Côte d’Ivoire. In addition, he worked on issues relating to disarmament, demobilization and reintegration, as well as human rights, for the U.N. Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo. He also served as a coordinator for research of penal proofs at the International Penal Tribunal in Rwanda, and as juridical advisor to the ICCR Permanent Mission in Ethiopia. Ambassador Dia holds a civil administrator diploma from the National School of Administration in Tunisia and doctorates in diplomatic studies and international relations from Paris. He speaks French, Arabic and English, and is married with one child.

Spain
Santiago Gomez-Acebo assumed the position of political counselor on Aug. 1. Gomez-Acebo, who joined the Foreign Service in 1992, previously served as deputy director of the Diplomatic School at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2005-07), deputy head of mission at the Spanish Embassy in Cyprus (2002-05), counselor at the embassy in Canada (1999-2002), deputy head of mission at the embassy in Senegal (1996-98), including a year as chargé d’affaires (1997), as well as serving in the U.N. Department of the Foreign Affairs Ministry (1993-96).