List of ambassadors of Russia to Rwanda

Ambassador of the Russian Federation to the Republic of Rwanda
Emblem of the Russian Foreign Ministry
Incumbent
Karen Chalyan [ru]
since 14 March 2018
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Embassy of Russia in Kigali
StyleHer Excellency
The Honourable
Reports toMinister of Foreign Affairs
SeatKigali
AppointerPresident of Russia
Term lengthAt the pleasure of the President
WebsiteEmbassy of Russia in Kigali

The Ambassador of Russia to Rwanda is the official representative of the President and the Government of the Russian Federation to the President and the Government of Rwanda.

The ambassador and her staff work at large in the Russian embassy in Kigali.[1] The current Russian ambassador to Rwanda is Karen Chalyan [ru], incumbent since 14 March 2018.[2]

History of diplomatic relations[edit]

Following a series of events, including the Rwandan Revolution in 1959 and the 1961 Rwandan monarchy referendum, culminating in a Rwandan declaration of independence in 1962, the Soviet Union moved to establish relations with the new state. The two countries agreed to exchange ambassadors on 17 October 1963, and the first Soviet ambassador to Rwanda, Yevgeny Afanasenko [ru], was appointed on 1 November 1966, and presented his credentials on 4 January 1967.[3] With the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, the incumbent Soviet ambassador, Pyotr Komendant [ru], continued as a representative of the Russian Federation until 1994.[3]

List of representatives (1966- present)[edit]

Representatives of the Soviet Union to Rwanda (1966-1991)[edit]

Name Title Appointment Termination Notes
Yevgeny Afanasenko [ru] Ambassador 1 November 1966 24 May 1972 Presented credentials on 4 January 1967
Grigory Zhilyakov [ru] Ambassador 2 June 1972 19 May 1978 Presented credentials on 21 July 1972
Gennady Rykov [ru] Ambassador 19 May 1978 17 November 1984 Presented credentials on 7 June 1978
Gennady Sokolov [ru] Ambassador 17 November 1984 23 August 1990 Presented credentials on 8 January 1985
Pyotr Komendant [ru] Ambassador 23 August 1990 25 December 1991

Representatives of the Russian Federation to Rwanda (1991-present)[edit]

Name Title Appointment Termination Notes
Pyotr Komendant [ru] Ambassador 25 December 1991 11 January 1994
Anatoly Smirnov [ru] Ambassador 11 January 1994 28 July 1998
Stanislav Akhmedov [ru] Ambassador 28 July 1998 17 September 2002
Aleksei Dulyan [ru] Ambassador 17 September 2002 20 December 2006
Mirgayas Shirinsky [ru] Ambassador 20 December 2006 22 May 2013
Andrei Polyakov Ambassador 22 May 2013 31 October 2017
Karen Chalyan [ru] Ambassador 14 March 2018

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Embassy of the Russian Federation in the Republic of Rwanda". Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Russia). Retrieved 4 April 2021.
  2. ^ "Ambassador". Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Russia). Retrieved 4 April 2021.
  3. ^ a b "Посольство СССР в Руанда" (in Russian). Справочник по истории Коммунистической партии и Советского Союза 1898 - 1991. Retrieved 4 April 2021.