NEW PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF GREECE PRESENTS CREDENTIALS
Press Release
BIO/3225
NEW PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF GREECE PRESENTS CREDENTIALS
19990421 Biographical NoteElias Gounaris, the new Permanent Representative of Greece to the United Nations, today presented his credentials to Secretary-General Kofi Annan.
Prior to his current appointment, Mr. Gounaris was the Director General for Political Affairs in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a position he held since January 1997. Before that, from June 1996, he was the Director of the Department for Eastern and Western Europe, and Deputy Director General for Political Affairs.
Mr. Gounaris served as Greece's Ambassador to the Court of St. James and Iceland from April 1993 to June 1996. Prior to that appointment, he was Ambassador to Moscow and Mongolia, from May 1989.
Mr. Gounaris served as Minister Counsellor and then Minister at the Greek Embassy in Bonn from September 1987 to May 1989. Prior to that, he was Head of the American Desk in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, from January 1983 to September 1987. He served at the Greek Embassy in Belgrade, from November 1979 to January 1983, after having been Secretary and then Counsellor at the Greek Mission to the International Organizations in Geneva since 1975.
Prior to that, Mr. Gounaris was Head of Section for the Turkey-Cyprus Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, from April 1973 to October 1975; Consul in New York, from January 1969 to April 1973; and Attaché, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, from August 1966 to January 1969.
Born on 7 September 1941 in Athens, Mr. Gounaris obtained a law degree from the University in Athens in 1964. He then served in the Greek Navy from 1964 to 1966.
* *** *