List of Australian Ambassadors to Russia

File:Podkolokolny 10 02.jpg

The Australian Embassy, Podkolokolny Pereulok 11, Moscow.

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.

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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> 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.<ref name=First>Template:Cite news</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 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.<ref name=Townsend>Template:Cite press release</ref> The Australian Government announced plans to close its Embassy in Kazakhstan in August 1999.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> According to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the closure was due to resource constraints.<ref>Template:Citation</ref>

Office holders

Ministers to the Soviet Union

Name	Start of term	End of term	References
Bill Slater	12 October 1942	June 1943	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
James Maloney	5 November 1943	12 August 1946	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
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	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Brian Hill (Chargé d'Affaires)	14 October 1953	24 April 1954	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Embassy closed	24 April 1954	22 July 1959
Bill Cutts (Chargé d'Affaires)	22 July 1959	28 July 1960	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Keith Waller	28 July 1960	1962	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Stewart Wolfe Jamieson	1962	1965
John Rowland	February 1965	1968	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Frederick Blakeney	1968	June 1972	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Lawrence John Lawrey	12 June 1972	April 1974	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
James Plimsoll	23 April 1974	4 August 1977	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Murray Bourchier	4 August 1977	August 1980
David Wyke Evans	1 March 1981	March 1984	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Ted Pocock	21 March 1984	September 1987
Robin Ashwin	28 September 1987	May 1991	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Cavan Hogue	29 May 1991	26 December 1991	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Ambassadors to the Russian Federation

File:Dmitry Medvedev with Margaret Aileen Twomey.jpg

Ambassador Margaret Twomey presents her letter of credentials to the President Dmitry Medvedev, 18 September 2008.

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	<ref>Template:Citation</ref>
Leslie Rowe	18 December 2002	February 2005	<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref>
Bob Tyson	28 February 2005	June 2008	<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref>
Margaret Twomey	June 2008	October 2013	<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref>
Paul Myler	24 October 2013	present	<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref>

Ambassadors to Kazakhstan

Name	Start of term	End of term	References
Douglas Townsend	June 1995	November 1997	<ref name=Townsend/>
Peter Tesch	November 1997	1999	<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref>

See also

• Russia-Australia relations
• Foreign relations of Australia

External links

• Australian Embassy, Russian Federation