Russian President Vladimir Putin has appointed 64-year-old diplomat Andrei Grozov as the new ambassador of the Russian Federation to Austria, Austrian media outlet ORF reports. Grozov, who has worked in the foreign ministries of the Soviet Union and Russia since 1983, remains virtually unknown to the general public, BTA reports.
Unlike many of his predecessors, Grozov has not demonstrated public affinity for Austria. Before his appointment in Vienna, he represented Russia in the bodies of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) in Minsk, ORF explains.
The appointment was made by decree of the Russian president and was coordinated with the Austrian Foreign Ministry. “The Russian Embassy in Vienna was informed of the agreement in September,” a spokeswoman for the ministry said.
From a Russian perspective, the appointment is not unexpected. Although another diplomat was considered the favorite for the post, Grozov was already mentioned in informed circles in Moscow as the future ambassador to Vienna in the summer. He succeeds the specialist on Austria Dmitry Lyubinsky, who in August, after ten years in Vienna, returned to the Russian Foreign Ministry and was appointed deputy foreign minister.