Government approves five ambassadorial nominees, Pasxu to Athens
Government names five new ambassadorial nominees including a former Gradski parking director for Athens; several other envoys await parliamentary hearings.
The Government has given the green light to five proposed ambassadors, mixing career diplomats with political appointees and professionals from business and media backgrounds.
Among the names approved at the recent cabinet session is Filip Pasxu, who the government picked to serve as ambassador to Athens. Pasxu was appointed acting director of the public enterprise Gradski parking on December 31, 2021; he previously served as deputy director and as chair of the company’s supervisory board and holds a master's degree in economics.
Tatjana Loparski, a former journalist who now runs a major public relations agency, was selected as ambassador to Budapest. The government described Loparski as an expert in public relations, and she is currently the owner and CEO of Element PR.
Lawyer Jasmin Kalač was nominated for the post in Sarajevo. Kalač is not known for taking on highly publicized defence cases, although he is the counsel for former Directorate for Protection and Rescue director Dzevat Selami in the "Puls" case related to the Kocani tragedy.
Other nominees and existing selections
Two additional candidates passed the same cabinet session: Driton Kuçi for Oslo, Norway — a posting he already holds and would be his second term — and Elma Altorok for Cairo, Egypt; Altorok is currently chargé d’affaires in Cairo and is expected to return to Skopje to defend her candidacy.
The government had previously chosen four more ambassadors who are awaiting their parliamentary hearings. Career diplomat Krum Efremov will be posted to Bulgaria, having served previously as ambassador to Ukraine; Gabriel Atanasov, a professional from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, will return as ambassador to Romania; Muharem Jusufi will serve in Stockholm, Sweden; and Katerina Todoroska will be posted to Pristina.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, there are currently 24 diplomatic-consular missions without an appointed ambassador or consul general. "For 11 of them, candidates have already been selected, who will assume their duties at different times after the completion of the legal procedure. These are the diplomatic-consular missions in Athens, Budapest, Bucharest, Cairo, Canberra, London, Pristina, Sarajevo, Sofia, Stockholm and The Hague," the ministry said.
The ministry also noted that by the end of August ambassadors are expected to depart for several posts: Ilina Mangova to London, Linda Salieska Iljazovska to The Hague, and Stojanche Kitanoski to Canberra.
Photo: Архива
