Publish Date: 31 July 2019 - 12:48

TEHRAN, Jul. 31 (MNA) – Ex-German Ambassador to Iran Bernd Erbel has been elected as the new head of the Instrument in Support of Trade Exchanges (INSTEX).

The 72-year-old German diplomat was serving as his country's envoy to Iran from 2009 to 2013.

He succeeds his compatriot, Per Fischer, a former Commerzbank director who presided over the mechanism since its inception. 

In 1977, Erbel worked at the German embassy in Beirut, Lebanon, followed by a career in Sana'a, Riyadh, and Cairo. From July 2004 until August 2006 he was the German Ambassador in Iraq.

Erbel, who is said to have a detailed familiarity with the region, is to officially take office on August 1, 2019.

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