The Diplomat
The Council of Ministers yesterday approved the appointment of the diplomat Antonio Sánchez-Benedito as the new ambassador to Iran.
As The Diplomat reported, Sánchez-Benedito replaces Ángel Losada, who has remained in the position until now, although he retired last December, after having carried out an effective effort to achieve the release of the Spaniard Santiago Sánchez Cogedor, who had been detained in that country for 15 months.
Sánchéz-Benedito, who was currently ambassador in the Special Mission for the Sahel and the Africa Plan, has extensive experience as a diplomat, since he entered the Diplomatic Career in 1994 and has held various positions of responsibility.
He has been ambassador of Spain in Ethiopia and in 2013 and 2014 he was ambassador in the Special Mission for the Sahel. Likewise, from 2014 to 2018 he was ambassador of the European Union in Madagascar and Comoros; and from 2018 to 2022, in Mozambique.
Previously, he was deputy director general of Sub-Saharan Africa, was chargé d’affaires in Libya and held second positions in the Spanish Embassies in Angola, El Salvador and Mozambique.
State Secretary for Commerce
On the other hand, the Council of Ministers also approved the appointment of Amparo López Senovilla as State Secretary for Commerce, replacing Xiana Méndez, who will leave the position after six years to occupy the Spanish position of executive director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). ) in Washington.
Amparo López Senovilla is a State Lawyer and has a master’s degree in Community Law, and from June 2018 until now she has been undersecretary of the Ministry of Economy and Business. Her position will now be occupied by Aída Fernández González, who was director of the Spanish Patent and Trademark Office since 2022, and who had previously been head of the Cabinet of the undersecretary of the Ministry.
