NEW PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF ARMENIA PRESENTS CREDENTIALS

States News Service
September 30, 2008 Tuesday

The following information was released by the United Nations:

The new Permanent Representative of Armenia to the United Nations
(Vienna), H. E. Mr. Ashot Hovakimian, presented his credentials today
to Mr. Antonio Maria Costa, Director-General, United Nations Office
at Vienna (UNOV).

Mr. Hovakimian is also serving as Ambassador to Austria, the Czech
Republic, Hungary and Slovakia, a post which he assumed in 2006.

Mr. Hovakimian has served in many capacities in the course of
his career, among them: Ambassador to Poland (1999-2006) and to
Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania (2000-06), Charge d’Affaires en pied to
Poland (1998-99), Director, Second European Department (Central and
South-Eastern Europe), Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Advisor to the
Minister of Foreign Affairs (1997-98), Head, Second European Desk,
European Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (1996-97), First
Secretary, Embassy in Athens, Greece (1994-96), Charge d’Affaires ad
interim, Embassy in Athens, Greece (1993-94), Second Secretary and Desk
Officer for the Balkans, European Desk, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
(1992-93) and Researcher, Armenian National Academy of Sciences,
Yerevan (1988-92).

Mr. Hovakimian holds a doctoral degree in Slavic and Balkan Studies
from the Academy of Sciences, Moscow and a degree in Slavic Studies
from the Moscow State University. He speaks Armenian, Croatian,
English, Greek, Polish and Russian.

Mr. Hovakimian is married and has two children.