Russian President Vladimir Putin has decreed that Maria Zakharova, the Director of the Information and Press Department of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, should be granted the highest diplomatic rank of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary. The document is available on the official legal information website.
Since 2017, Zakharova has had the diplomatic rank of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the First Class.
Maria Zakharova has been working as an official representative of the Foreign Ministry since August 10, 2015. She became the first woman in that position.
Zakgarova’s biography
Zakharova was born on December 24, 1975. She graduated from the Faculty of the International Information (now the Faculty of International Journalism) of the Moscow State Institute of International Relations of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MGIMO), specializing in Oriental Studies and Journalism. Candidate of Historical Sciences degree - in 2003 at the Russian University of Peoples’ Friendship she defended her thesis on “Transformation of Understanding of Symbols of Traditional New Year Celebrations in Modern China. The last quarter of the XX century”.
During her career in the MFA of Russia, Zakharova worked in the editorial office of “Diplomatichesky Vestnik”, in Department of Information and Press and at the Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to the United Nations in New York.
Zakharova is a member of the Russian Foreign and Defense Policy Council.
Zakharova participates in public activities, is an active user of social networks and is engaged in charity. She takes part in the cultural life of the country. In particular, she co-authored several songs for popular performers.
Assigning new ranks to diplomats
In addition, the presidential decree awarded the highest diplomatic rank of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Sergey Butin, Director of the General Secretariat of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Sergey Gubarev, Ambassador- at-Large of the Russian diplomatic mission, as well as Iskander Azizov, Ambassadors of the Russian Federation to Mongolia, Andrey Guskov to Cuba, Vladimir Dedushkin to Yemen, Alexander Ignatov to Bangladesh, Sergey Kuznetsov to the United Arab Emirates and Yuri Materiy to Sri Lanka. A number of diplomats were promoted to the ranks of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the First and Second Class.
According to Andrey Baklanov, Deputy Chairman of the Association of Russian Diplomats, Maria Zakharova’s appointment as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary is associated with her work as Director of Information and Press of the Ministry, usually with this step the state emphasizes the high appreciation of the official.
“This rank seems to have been assigned to Zakharova, given her previous career, first and foremost, of course, her position as director of the department, which in the central administration of the Foreign Ministry is the third step after the Minister and Deputy Minister”, Baklanov said.
The expert specified that the rank of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary is the highest step on the diplomatic ladder.
“It consists of a total of 11 steps, starting with the Attaché. The rank of Ambassador is assigned to persons who have been successfully working for quite a long time in the highest diplomatic positions and have proved to be professionals of the highest class”, - the interlocutor of the agency explained.
He added that earlier, about 20-30 years ago, the rank of Ambassador was assigned at the time of appointment.
“The practice of the last 15-20 years has changed significantly. Now it is assigned as a result of the successful work already done at some high diplomatic post”, the expert said.
He reminded that the rank of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, as well as the rank of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Second and First Class, is assigned by a special decree of the President of the Russian Federation.
“But unlike the envoys, the Ambassador has a number of additional respectful rights and privileges. For example, when Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary resigns, he has the right to travel abroad with a diplomatic passport for the rest of his life. In other words, the ambassador is a figure of national importance, and the state seeks to stress that the merits of this person are very highly appreciated. Zakharova can be congratulated, this is a landmark event for every diplomat”, the agency’s interlocutor concluded.
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Photo: Alexander Shcherbak / TASS
Based on materials from RIA Novosti, TASS