Biographical Note

New Permanent Representative of Greece Presents Credentials

 

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

Michel Spinellis, the new Permanent Representative of Greece to the United Nations, presented his credentials to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today.

Prior to his appointment, Mr. Spinellis was his country’s Ambassador to the Russian Federation since 2009.  Before that, from 2006 to 2008, he was the Head of Personnel at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, and then, in 2008, he was Director General for Administrative, Personnel and Financial Affairs.  In 2005, he served as his country’s Ambassador to Israel.  Beginning in 2000, he was the Ambassador to the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (later known as Serbia and Montenegro).

In an extensive diplomatic career that began in the Foreign Affairs Ministry in 1979, Mr. Spinellis held a number of posts, including as Director for South Eastern Europe at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs (1999); Minister at the Embassy of Greece in London (1996); diplomat at the Embassies in Belgrade and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (1993), and prior to that, head of the Greek delegation in the European Community Monitoring Mission in Zagreb (1992).

Earlier, in 1991, Mr. Spinellis was Deputy Spokesperson at the Foreign Affairs Ministry, and, among other posts, served at the Permanent Mission of Greece to the International Organizations in Geneva (1985-1991) and at the Embassy in Algiers (1984).

Mr. Spinellis graduated from the Faculty of Law and Economics, Aristoteleion University in Thessaloniki.

Born on 26 March 1953 in Athens, Greece, he is married and has a daughter.

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