Zalmai Aziz

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Zalmai Aziz
Permanent Representative to the United Nations Office at Geneva
Assumed office
13 September 2010
PresidentHamid Karzai
Preceded byNanguyalai Tarzi
Afghanistan Ambassador to Russia
In office
2007–2010
Succeeded byAzizullah Karzai
Afghanistan Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs
In office
2003–2007
Preceded byAbdorrahim Sherizai
Succeeded byMohammad Kabir Farahi
Personal details
Born1940
Kabul, Afghanistan
OccupationDiplomat, Politician
Zalmai Aziz presents his diplomatic credentials to then-President of Russia Vladimir Putin on 27 July 2007.

Zalmai Aziz (born 1940 in

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Afghanistan
.

Education and early career

Zalmai Aziz was born on 22 June 1939, in

second secretary at the Afghan embassy in Warsaw, Poland, in the 1970s and worked at the Afghan mission of the United Nations in New York in the 80s.[2]

Career in Post-Taliban Afghanistan

After the fall of the Taliban Regime in 2011, Aziz returned to Afghanistan at the request of the Afghan Government and rejoined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He initially served as the director of the

Minister of Foreign Affairs for Political Affairs.[3] He held this position until the middle of 2006.[2]
As an Afghan diplomat he has participated in many bilateral and multilateral negotiations and has led Afghanistan's delegations to a number of international conferences and meetings.

In October 2006 Aziz was summoned by the foreign relations committee of the

lower house to explain accusations of corruption in various Afghan embassies. Aziz confirmed administrative corruption existed in Afghan embassies in some foreign countries and said the ministry had sent investigative teams to the Afghan embassies in Brussels, Bulgaria, Paris and some other countries.[4]

When Aziz retired in November 2006

Afghan Foreign Minister Rangin Dadfar Spanta said: "Today is indeed a sad day for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as one of our outstanding and experienced diplomats is leaving us for good; we appreciate all his invaluable hard work and contribution to this Ministry and we all wish him well."[5]

However, in the middle of 2007 Aziz joined the Afghan Foreign Service again. He was appointed

Republic of Belarus and Armenia.[1] In 2008 he said the fight against terrorism in Afghanistan was not the matter of one day, one month or one year, but this ominous phenomenon will take years to be eradicated.[6]

On 25 May 2010 he ended his mission in Russia

Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva[1] and on 18 January 2011 to the President of Switzerland.[3] He is a member of the Council of Foundation of the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining.[7]

External links

References

Preceded by Afghan Permanent Representative to the United Nations Office at Geneva
2010-Present
Succeeded by
Preceded by Afghan Ambassador to Russia
2007-2010
Succeeded by
Preceded by Afghan Deputy Foreign Minister
2003-2006
Succeeded by