List of Australian Ambassadors to Russia
From Kazakhstan Encyclopedia
Template:Use Australian English Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox official post
The Ambassador of Australia to the Russian Federation is an officer of the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the head of the Embassy of the Commonwealth of Australia to the Russian Federation. The position has the rank and status of an Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary and holds non-resident accreditation for Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Armenia, Moldova and Belarus. The current Ambassador is Paul Myler.
Contents
Posting history
Russia and Australia have enjoyed diplomatic relations since 1942 when Australia opened channels with the Soviet Union. This occurred on 13 October 1942 with the conclusion of negotiations between Foreign Ministers Herbert Evatt and Vyacheslav Molotov. The Australian Legation opened in January 1943 (the first Minister, Bill Slater was appointed in October 1942) in the temporary Russian capital of Kuybyshev and the Soviet embassy in Canberra also opened in March 1943.
By the war's end the Legation moved to Moscow and on 16 February 1948 was upgraded to an Embassy. In February 1950 the Ambassador Alan Watt was recalled by the Australian government and was not replaced.[1] In April 1954 with the scandal of the Petrov Affair the embassy in Moscow was closed, but later reopened in 1959. Between 1964 and 1966, the Ambassador in Moscow held accreditation as Ambassador to Sweden. Between June 1972 and September 1973 the Ambassador in Moscow was accredited to Warsaw.[2] With the dissolution of the Soviet Union in late 1991, Australia acted to recognise the new states of the Commonwealth of Independent States on 26 December 1991. As a result, the embassy's accreditation was transferred to the Russian Federation, while non-resident accreditation to many of the new former Soviet republics was acquired. Non-resident accreditation with the Ukraine was consequently included from 10 January 1992, but was transferred to the new embassy established in Kiev in February 2015 following the 2014 pro-Russian unrest in Ukraine.[3] From 12 June 1973 to 29 May 1991, accreditation to Mongolia was also held by the Embassy in Moscow until it was transferred to the Embassy in Beijing.
The Australian Government established an Embassy in Almaty, Kazakhstan in 1995 and appointed its first resident Ambassador, Douglas Townsend.[4] The Australian Government announced plans to close its Embassy in Kazakhstan in August 1999.[5] According to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the closure was due to resource constraints.[6]
Office holders
Ministers to the Soviet Union
| Name | Start of term | End of term | References |
| Bill Slater | 12 October 1942 | June 1943 | [7][8] |
| James Maloney | 5 November 1943 | 12 August 1946 | [9] |
| Noël Deschamps (Chargé d'Affaires) | 12 August 1946 | 1947 | |
| Alan Watt | June 1947 | 16 February 1948 |
Ambassadors to the Soviet Union
| Name | Start of term | End of term | References |
| Alan Watt | 16 February 1948 | 10 February 1950 | |
| Frederick Blakeney (Chargé d'Affaires) | 10 February 1950 | September 1951 | |
| John McMillan (Chargé d'Affaires) | September 1951 | 14 October 1953 | [10] |
| Brian Hill (Chargé d'Affaires) | 14 October 1953 | 24 April 1954 | [11] |
| Embassy closed | 24 April 1954 | 22 July 1959 | |
| Bill Cutts (Chargé d'Affaires) | 22 July 1959 | 28 July 1960 | [12] |
| Keith Waller | 28 July 1960 | 1962 | [13] |
| Stewart Wolfe Jamieson | 1962 | 1965 | |
| John Rowland | February 1965 | 1968 | [14] |
| Frederick Blakeney | 1968 | June 1972 | [15] |
| Lawrence John Lawrey | 12 June 1972 | April 1974 | [16] |
| James Plimsoll | 23 April 1974 | 4 August 1977 | [17] |
| Murray Bourchier | 4 August 1977 | August 1980 | |
| David Wyke Evans | 1 March 1981 | March 1984 | [18] |
| Ted Pocock | 21 March 1984 | September 1987 | |
| Robin Ashwin | 28 September 1987 | May 1991 | [19] |
| Cavan Hogue | 29 May 1991 | 26 December 1991 | [20] |
Ambassadors to the Russian Federation
| Name | Start of term | End of term | References |
| Cavan Hogue | 26 December 1991 | November 1994 | |
| Geoffrey Bentley | 2 November 1994 | 19 December 1998 | |
| Ruth Pearce | 18 November 1998 | 29 January 2002 | [21] |
| Leslie Rowe | 18 December 2002 | February 2005 | [22] |
| Bob Tyson | 28 February 2005 | June 2008 | [23] |
| Margaret Twomey | June 2008 | October 2013 | [24] |
| Paul Myler | 24 October 2013 | present | [25] |
Ambassadors to Kazakhstan
| Name | Start of term | End of term | References |
| Douglas Townsend | June 1995 | November 1997 | [4] |
| Peter Tesch | November 1997 | 1999 | [26] |
See also
References
External links
Template:Lists of heads of Australian diplomatic missions
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