The Washington Diplomat

Appointments - August 2005

Australia
• Gary Quinlan assumed the position of deputy chief of mission on June 27, replacing Peter Baxter, who departed the post in June. Quinlan joined the Department of Foreign Affairs in 1973, serving as first assistant secretary in the Americas and Europe Division (2000-01) and in the Diplomatic Security, Property and Information Management Division (1999-2000), as well as assistant secretary of the East Asia Branch (1996-98), director of Sea Law and Oceans Policy (1987-88) and director of the Maritime Resources Section (1985-87). He was also head of the Australian Delegation to the Law of the Sea Preparatory Commission from 1986 to 1988. Quinlan’s overseas assignments include postings to the Australian U.N. Mission in New York, UNESCO in Paris, the Australian Embassy in Dublin and the World Bank in Washington, D.C. He has also served as chief of staff to the minister for trade and the minister for industry, science and technology. Quinlan holds a bachelor’s degree with honors from the University of Newcastle.

• Dennis Richardson became ambassador of Australia to the United States on July 11. Ambassador Richardson has been a career public servant since 1969 when he joined the Australian Foreign Service, serving posts in Nairobi, Port Moresby and Jakarta. From October 1996 until his current appointment, he served as director-general of the Australian Security Intelligence Organization, before which he was deputy secretary of the Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs (1993-96). Ambassador Richardson has also served in various senior public service roles in the departments of the prime minister and cabinet, foreign affairs, and trade and immigration. He was head of the Review of the Intelligence Community Post-Cold War in 1992 and principal adviser to the prime minister from 1990 to 1991. Ambassador Richardson holds a bachelor 6;s degree with honors from Sydney University and was made an officer of the Order of Australia in 2003. He is married to Betty with one son and one daughter.

Bangladesh
• Shamsher M. Chowdhury became ambassador of Bangladesh to the United States on May 26. Ambassador Chowdhury graduated with a bachelor’s degree from the Pakistan Military Academy and was commissioned in the Pakistan Army in 1969, serving in Jessore and Chittagong. Ambassador Chowdhury participated in the War of Liberation of Bangladesh in 1971 and was awarded the Gallantry Award “Bir Bikram” (BB). He was promoted to the rank of major in September1973. Ambassador Chowdhury, who joined the Bangladesh Civil Service in 1975, served as deputy chief of protocol and director of West Europe in the Foreign Ministry (1975-77), after which he was posted to the Bangladesh Embassy in Rome (1977-81). In addition, he served as counselor in the Bangladesh Embassy in Washington (1981-83), as counselor and minister in the Bangladesh High Commission in Ottawa (1983-86), and deputy chief of mission at the Bangladesh Embassy in Beijing (1986-88). His other postings include director-general of the SAARC Division in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (1988-91), high commissioner of Bangladesh to Sri Lanka (1991-95), ambassador to Germany (1995-98), and ambassador to Vietnam (1998-2001). He served as the foreign secretary of Bangladesh from 2001 to 2005. Ambassador Chowdhury speaks German and Italian, and has working knowledge of French.

Estonia
• Brig. Gen. Vello Loemaa assumed the position of defense, military, naval and air attaché on Aug. 1, replacing Brig. Gen. Mart Tiru, who departed the post on July 31.

Iceland
• Olafur Sigurdsson assumed the position of deputy chief of mission on Aug. 1, replacing Gudni Bragason, who departed the post on July 31.

Latvia
• Ivita Burmistre departed the post of economic first secretary on July 30.

• Inese Liepina assumed the position of economic counselor on Aug. 5. Liepina previously served as head of the Foreign Economic Relations and Promotions Division at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Macedonia
• Slobodan Tasovski departed the post of counselor, deputy chief of mission on June 29.

Tonga
• Fekitamoeloa ‘Utoikamanu became ambassador of Tonga to the United States on May 26. Ambassador ‘Utoikamanu previously served as secretary for foreign affairs and national authorizing officer (2002-05), deputy secretary for foreign affairs and deputy national authorizing officer (1991-2002), acting planning officer (1988-91) and macro-economist (1983-86) at the Central Planning Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as acting deputy secretary for finance at the Ministry of Finance in 1987. Ambassador ‘Utoikamanu holds a bachelor’s of commerce degree and a master’s of commerce degree in economics from the University of Auckland, New Zealand. She is married with one daughter.

Uzbekistan
• Sherzod Abdullaev assumed the position of counselor on March 25.

• Bakhtiyor Abdullakhandv assumed the position of counselor for economy and trade on May 15, replacing Bakhtiyor Ibragimov, who departed the post on May 15.