UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has appointed Russian diplomat Gleb Desyatnikov as Assistant Secretary-General for Mine Action and Police in the Department of Peacekeeping Operations.
The United Nations said Desyatnikov “brings to the new position more than 35 years of experience in international relations, political affairs and security, gained in civil service, multilateral diplomacy and conflict-affected regions“.
Diplomatic experience in the Middle East and the UN
Desyatnikov has been the Ambassador of the Russian Federation to Jordan since 2018. Before that, between 2010 and 2018, he was Deputy Director of the Department for Middle East and North Africa at the Russian Foreign Ministry.
His career also includes working as a senior adviser on Middle East and North Africa at the Russian Permanent Mission to the UN in New York from 2004 to 2010. Between 2000 and 2004, he headed the political department for Iraq and Jordan at the Russian Foreign Ministry.
He previously worked at the Russian Embassy in Jordan, and between 1994 and 1997, he participated in several missions to the UN Special Commission for Iraq.
His new position at the UN
As Assistant Secretary-General, Desyatnikov will have a portfolio that covers mine action operations and police components in UN peacekeeping missions. The announcement of the appointment did not specify when he will officially take up his duties.
Desyatnikov has a master's degree in international relations from the Moscow State Institute of International Relations. In addition to Russian, he is fluent in English and Arabic.
Sources: directspeech.news, jordantimes.com