The Diplomat in Spain

Juan González-Barba.

L.Ayllón / A.Rodríguez. 24/07/2018

Spanish government asked for agrément to Turkish authorities for the diplomat Juan González-Barba to become its next Ambassador in Ankara. The post has been vacant since the beginning of June when the previous Ambassador, Rafael Mendívil, reached retirement age.

The aforementioned position in the Turkish capital was about to fall into the hands of José María Robles Fraga at the end of May since the then Director of International Relations of Banco Santander had been appointed by the Government of Mariano Rajoy.

With the agrément already granted by the Executive of Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Robles’ appointment was scheduled to be approved by the Cabinet last May, but PSOE’s led vote of no confidence ruined the plans of Alfonso Dastis. Pedro Sanchez’s Government will now send Robles Fraga as Ambassador to Lithuania, The Diplomat learned.

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González-Barba was general director for the Mediterranean, Maghreb and Middle East

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Born in 1966 in Seville, González-Barba has a degree in Law and joined the Diplomatic Service in 1991. He has been assigned to the Spanish diplomatic representations in South Africa, Greece and the Permanent Representation of Spain before the European Union.

In addition, he was Deputy General Director of Cooperation and Cultural Promotion Abroad in the Spanish Agency of International Cooperation (AECID); Deputy General Director in the Cabinet of the Secretary General of Foreign Policy and for the EU and second chief in the Embassy of Spain in Israel.

In October 2010 he was appointed General Director for the Mediterranean, Maghreb and Middle East, and after PP took power he held the post for four months. A series of discrepancies with the then Foreign Minister, José Manuel García-Margallo, caused the latter to send him as Ambassador to Sudan.

Being in Khartoum the independence of South Sudan took place and González-Barba became the first Spanish ambassador accredited to this new African country. In July 2015 he returned to Madrid, where he has been working in the analysis office of the State Secretariat for Foreign Affairs.