Biographical Note

New permanent representative of CYPRUS presents credentials

(Based on information provided by the Protocol and Liaison Service.)

The new Permanent Representative of Cyprus to the United Nations, Minas Hadjimichael, presented his credentials to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today.

Prior to his current appointment, Mr. Hadjimichael, since 2007, was the Director of the Cyprus Question and European Union-Turkey Affairs Division of the Cyprus Ministry of Foreign Affairs.  During that time, he also served as the Ministry’s Acting Permanent Secretary.

From 2002 to 2007, Mr. Hadjimichael served as Cyprus’ Ambassador to France, with concurrent accreditation to serve as Ambassador to Tunisia, Andorra and Algeria.  Having begun his over 20-year diplomatic career in 1984 when he joined the Foreign Ministry’s Cyprus Question Division, he also served in the European Union Division from 1991 to 1995, including as Deputy Director from 1994 to 1995.  From 1995 to 1998, he was the Deputy Chief of Mission at the Cyprus Embassy in Athens, Greece.

Among his other posts, he served as Director of the Cypriot Foreign Minister’s Cabinet (1998-2002) and as a member of the negotiating team on the Cyprus Question (1999-2002).  Outside his work life, Mr. Hadjimichael trained as an instructor on European Union matters at the Civil Service College of London in 1994, and in 1999 participated in a special programme for the United States Information Agency (USIA) on “the US Federal System”.  He has also lectured at the Cyprus Mediterranean Institute of Management and at the Cyprus Academy for Public Administration.

Mr. Hadjimichael, who is 52 and speaks three languages (Greek, English and French), received his Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Athens in 1981, and obtained a Master of Arts degree in political science and international relations from Georgia Southern University, United States, in 1984.  He became eligible to practice law in 1984.

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