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Alexander Avdeyev appointed RF ambassador to Vatican, Malthusian Order

The Federation Council Foreign Affairs Commitee has approved the candidate of former culture minister

MOSCOW, October 29 (Itar-Tass) — The Federation Council Foreign Affairs Committee has approved the candidate of former culture minister Alexander Avdeyev as Russia’s ambassador to the Vatican and the Malthusian Order, a Russian diplomat told Itar-Tass on Monday.

The committee gathered for a session in closed doors.

In compliance with the Russian Constitution Russian ambassadors to foreign states and Russian representatives to international organisations are approved by the committee of both houses of the Federal Assembly before the resolution on their appointment is submitted to the president for signing.

Avdeyev was born in Ukraine on December 8, 1946. In 1968 he graduated from the Moscow State Institute of International Relations.

He has the diplomatic rank of ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary and speaks French, Italian, English and Bulgarian.

Avdeyev worked in the Russian Foreign Ministry over 40 years and took different diplomatic posts in the ministry’s central apparatus and abroad.

After the institute he worked in Algeria. In 1973-1977 he worked at the USSR Foreign Ministry’s central office as an attach· of First Africa Department. Then he took the positions of third and second secretaries at the office of deputy foreign minister.

In 1977-1985 he worked at the USSR Embassy in France as second and first secretary.

In 1985 he returned to Moscow on the position of adviser. Then he was chief of the sector of the USSR Foreign Ministry First Eurasia Department.

In 1987-1990 he was USSR Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Luxembourg.

From 1990 Avdeyev worked as first deputy chief of the USSR Foreign Ministry First Europe Department.

In December 1991 he was USSR deputy foreign minister.

In 1992 he took the position of director of the Russian Foreign Ministry CIS Department.

From July 1992 he was Russian ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to Bulgaria.

In December 1996 he was appointed as deputy foreign minister and in October 1998 he worked as first deputy foreign minister.

In 2002-2008 he was Russian ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to France and from 2007 he was Russian ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to the Principality of Monaco with concurrent accreditation.

From May 2008 to May 2012 Avdeyev was Russian minister of culture.

He was awarded with the orders of honour, the Order of Merit for the Fatherland 4th Degree and the Order of Friendship.

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