The Permanent Representative of Russia at NATO will become Grushko

The new representative of Russia at NATO will be appointed Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Alexander Grushko, Kommersant reports with reference to sources in the Foreign Ministry and headquarters of the Alliance. Grushko will be replaced by Dmitry Rogozin, appointed by the Deputy Prime Minister for the military-industrial complex.

According to the publication, among the applicants for the post of Permanent Representatives of NATO were senators Alexander Torshin, Mikhail Margelov and Viktor Ozerov, as well as the Governor of the Moscow Region Boris Gromov. The first Russian representative at NATO was the current ambassador to the United States Sergey Kislyak, who headed the diplomatic mission in Brussels. In 2003, General Konstantin Totsky, who previously led the federal border service, was appointed Permanent Representative. In 2008, Totsky was replaced by Rogozin.

According to the publication, the main task of Grushko will be the conduct of negotiations on the missile defense. Alexander Grushko is 56 years old. He graduated from MGIMO and has been working in the Foreign Ministry since 1977. In 1995-1996 he was the head of the Department of Security and Disarmament of the Foreign Ministry. From 1996 to 2000 he headed the Russian delegation on military security and control of weapons in Vienna. In 2001-2002 - Deputy Director, in 2002-2005 - Director of the Department of Pacific Cooperation. Since September 2005 - Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs.