February 2013

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Kazakhstan

Kairat Umarov became ambassador of Kazakhstan to the United States on Jan. 14, 2013.

Ambassador Umarov previously served as deputy foreign minister of Kazakhstan from 2009 to January 2013. Before that, he was Kazakhstan’s ambassador to India (2004-09), with concurrent accreditation to Sri Lanka (2008-09), as well as ambassador-at-large in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and chief inspector of the Foreign Policy Center for the administration of the president of Kazakhstan (2004). Ambassador Umarov also served in Washington, D.C., on two prior occasions: as minister counselor at the Kazakh Embassy from 1998 to 2003 and as first secretary and counselor from 1994 to 1996. In addition, he’s held various postings in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, including deputy director of the Third Department (1997-98); head of the unit and deputy director of the European States Department (1996-97); and second secretary, first secretary and head of section (1992-94). Prior to that, Ambassador Umarov was chief editor of the Writers’ Union of Kazakhstan (1989-91), a research fellow at the Kazakh University of History, Archeology and Ethnography (1988-89), and a teacher at the Almaty Pedagogical Institute of Foreign Languages (1987-88).

Ambassador Umarov graduated from the Almaty Pedagogical Institute of Foreign Languages with honors, and he speaks English and French. He is married with one son.

Mexico

Eduardo Medina Mora became ambassador of Mexico to the United States on Jan. 14, 2013.

Ambassador Medina Mora previously served as Mexico’s ambassador the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland from 2009 to January 2013, as well as permanent representative to the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the International Coffee Organization (ICO), the International Sugar Organization (ISO), and the International Mobile Satellite Organization (IMSO). In addition, he served as attorney general of Mexico (2006-09), secretary for public security (2005-06), and director general of the Centre for Investigation and National Security (2000-05). He was also a member of the Public Security Cabinet and of the National Security Council (2000-09), and he chaired the National Public Security Council (2005-06). In his private-sector career, Ambassador Medina Mora was deputy director general of DESC Group from 1991 to 2000. He was also coordinator of the legal advisory group that advised the government of Mexico during negotiations for the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and its parallel agreements, Legal Advisor to the National Agricultural Council, as well as a member of its National Executive Committee and National Counselor of the Business Coordinating Council.

He is member of the Royal Institute of International Affairs (Chatham House), the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), the Mexican Bar Association and the American Bar Association.

Ambassador Medina Mora, who holds a law degree from the National Autonomous University of Mexico, is married with three children.

Mongolia

Altangerel Bulgaa became ambassador of Mongolia to the United States on Jan. 14, 2013.

Ambassador Altangerel previously served as Mongolia’s ambassador to the United Kingdom as well as nonresident ambassador to South Africa, Ireland and Iceland (2008-13). He was also director general for legal and consular affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2003-08) and ambassador to Turkey, with nonresident accreditation to Bulgaria, Lebanon, Romania and Uzbekistan (1997-2003). In addition, he served several postings in the State Great Hural (SGH), the Parliament of Mongolia, including foreign policy advisor (1990-91), director of the Foreign Relations Department (1991-92), and director of the Foreign Relations Directorate (1992-97), both in the SGH Secretariat. Ambassador Altangerel, who joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1979, was also posted to the Mongolian Embassy in Afghanistan from 1981 to 1985, and he was a member of the Inter-Governmental Commission on the inspection of state boundaries between Mongolia and the Soviet Union from 1985 to 1988. In addition, he was a member of the Board of Directors of the Trust Fund for Victims of the International Criminal Court (2007-12); chair of the International Law Department at Mongolian National University (1993-97); responsible secretary of the Mongolian Inter-Parliamentary Group (1990-97); and a professor at Mongolian National University and at the Academy of the Russian Federation.

Ambassador Altangerel holds master’s degrees in international law and political sciences from the Moscow Institute of International Relations and the Moscow Institute of Political Sciences, as well as a Ph.D. in international law from the Kiev National Taras Shevchenko University in Ukraine. He was also a visiting fellow for international law and international public affairs at Columbia University.

He is married with three daughters.

Anna