Australia/Ambassador/Belgium

Australia/Ambassador/Belgium  (Ambassador to Belgium)
Start	1 May 1959
As also ambassador to EU and NATO, this position has importance, especially since 2005m when Austrlai became a NATO 'global partner'.

The Ambassador of Australia to Belgium is an officer of the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the head of the Embassy of the Commonwealth of Australia to the Belgium in Brussels. The position has the rank and status of an Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary and holds non-resident accreditation for Luxembourg. The Ambassador also acts as Australia's Ambassador to the European Union (EU), since 1962, and Ambassador to the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO).

Belgium and Australia have enjoyed official diplomatic relations since 1 May 1959 when Australia appointed Edwin McCarthy, in The Hague, as the non-resident Ambassador to Belgium. McCarthy also served as Australia's first Ambassador to the European Communities, when he was appointed in March 1962, just before he left his post in the Netherlands and Belgium, until he retired in 1964. When McCarthy retired, Ralph Harry succeeded him as both ambassador to Belgium and the European Communities (became the EU in 1993). Australia has been involved on an official level (as a 'global partner') with NATO since 2005 and the first Australian Ambassador to NATO was Brendan Nelson, appointed on 20 January 2012. The current ambassador is Justin Brown.

 

Office Holders on Wikispooks

Name	From	To	Description
Duncan Lewis	18 October 2012	18 October 2014	Includes EU and NATO
David Sadleir	1991	1992

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