In 1997, Ambassador Petersen became head of the Foreign Ministry, assuming the position of permanent secretary of state. Throughout his term (1997-2005), he was the alternate for the foreign minister in the European Union Council of Foreign Ministers. In 1994, Ambassador Petersen was appointed head of the Department of Relations with Russia, Eastern Europe and the Balkans as well as the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). In 1995, he was promoted to undersecretary, responsible for European affairs and economic assistance to Russia and Central and Eastern Europe and for Denmark’s policies on EU and NATO enlargement. He served as Denmark’s trade representative in the EU trade policy committee from 1995 to 1997. In addition, Ambassador Petersen engaged in negotiations with the United States concerning Denmark’s contribution to the U.S. Missile Defense System, pa ving the way for the Igaliku agreement among Denmark, Greenland and the United States. In 2001, he embarked on an ambitious plan of modernizing the Foreign Service in its entirety. Ambassador Petersen has been a member of the board of the Denmark-America Foundation since 1997, he was the Danish co-chairman of the Danish-Russian Intergovernmental Council on Economic Cooperation (1997-2005), and he was on the board of the Danish International Investment Funds (1995-2000). He lectures regularly at Danish universities and has published a number of foreign policy articles. Ambassador Petersen, who entered the Danish Foreign Service in 1979, holds a master’s degree in economics from the University of Copenhagen.

He is married to Birgitte Wilhelmsen and has a son and two daughters.