Luis Ayllón
Most of the ambassadors who are due to leave their posts in the coming months are quite surprised by the way in which they are being told who their successors will be, as The Diplomat has been able to ascertain from reliable sources.
This website published on 9 September the names of the 27 new ambassadors for whom the Executive has already given its approval.
According to the sources consulted, the surprise stems from the fact that, contrary to what was usual with other heads of the Undersecretariat, the outgoing ambassadors have not received a phone call from the Undersecretary, Celsa Nuño, to inform them personally that their replacement had already been chosen and that they should request the corresponding approval.
Apparently, they are only receiving a written communication from the Undersecretary, in which she transmits the order signed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Arancha González Laya, for them to present the request for the new ambassador’s certificate to the authorities of the country in which they are located.
The telephone call does not obey any written rule, but it was a courtesy detail that those relieved were grateful for – rather than a cold written communication – and which allowed them to exchange impressions with the head of the Undersecretary’s office.
A good number of diplomats are quite annoyed with the ways being observed by González Laya’s team, which has already provoked the irritation of many of them by the excessive delay in resolving the competitions for the appointment of ambassadors and other posts abroad, without taking into account the logistical problems that the delay could cause them.
