The Diplomat
The diplomat Javier Soria Quintana has been chosen by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, to be the new ambassador of Spain in Libia, replacing Javier García-Larrache, as The Diplomat learned from reliable sources.
García-Larrache was appointed ambassador in Tripoli in July 2020, when the situation in Libya was still very delicate as a result of the civil war that broke out in 2014, and which caused most of the Embassies, including that of Spain, to leave the country and followed the situation from Tunisia.
In fact, García-Larrache remained in the Tunisian capital for a year, traveling periodically to Libya, until finally in July 2021, Spain reopened its diplomatic representation in Tripoli, on the occasion of a visit by the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, in a show of support for the National Unity Government.
The replacement of García-Larrache was scheduled for the summer of last year, but the call for the general elections on July 23 caused the Government to remain in office and the appointment of the new ambassador did not take place. Diplomat Álvaro Albacete had been chosen for the position and the Libyan authorities had already granted the approval. However, when Pedro Sánchez’s Government was formed at the end of November, the new Minister of Culture, also a diplomat Ernesto Urtasun, chose Albacete as head of his Cabinet, so García-Larrache’s replacement was postponed.
Now, the Government has asked Libya for permission to appoint Javier Soria, who was assigned to the permanent representation of Spain to the United Nations in Geneva, as ambassador.
Diplomat since 2008, Soria also held the second position at the Spanish Embassy in Saudi Arabia, and was previously posted in Jordan, in the General Directorate of Foreign Policy for the Mediterranean, Maghreb and Middle East, and in the Vice President’s Office of the Government.
