The ambassador of Australia to Iraq 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 Republic of Iraq in Baghdad .[ 1] The position has the rank and status of an ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary and is currently held by Paula Ganly since December 2020.
Iraq and Australia have enjoyed official diplomatic relations since the Australian government of Gough Whitlam recognised the Iraqi Republic in 1973. Contacts between Australia and Iraq however were much earlier, dating back to British Mandatory Iraq and the British Protectorate Kingdom of Iraq from 1935.[ 2]
On 2 December 1973, Foreign Minister Don Willesee announced that Iraq and Australia would establish diplomatic relations with the Australian Ambassador in Beirut to be accredited to Iraq.[ 3] A resident Ambassador was not appointed until 1976, with Neil Truscott becoming the first resident Ambassador in early 1977.[ 4] With the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait starting the First Gulf War in August 1990, relations between the two countries became severely strained and diplomatic relations were severed in January 1991 with the withdrawal of Ambassador Peter Lloyd immediately prior to Operation Desert Storm .[ 5] Relations remained severed until the overthrow of the regime of Saddam Hussein and the establishment of the Australian Mission in Baghdad on 3 May 2003, immediately following the 2003 invasion of Iraq .[ 6] This was upgraded to an embassy 29 June 2004 following the transfer of sovereign authority to the Iraqi Interim Government .[ 7]
Heads of mission
Ordinal
Officeholder
Title
Residency
Term start date
Term end date
Time in office
Notes
1
Pierre Hutton
Ambassador of Australia to Iraq
Beirut , Lebanon
1974
1975
0–1 years
2
Peter Curtis
1975
October 1976 (1976-10 )
0–1 years
n/a
J. M. Starey
Chargé d'affaires
Baghdad
October 1976
1977
0–1 years
3
Neil Truscott
Ambassador of Australia to Iraq
1977
1979
1–2 years
[ 8]
4
J. M. Starey
1979
1981
1–2 years
5
A. L. Vincent
1981
1983
1–2 years
6
Miles Kupa
1983
1986
2–3 years
7
Rory Steele
1986
1989
2–3 years
8
Peter Lloyd
1989
January 1991
1–2 years
[ 5]
Relations suspended
9
Neil Mules
Head of Mission
Baghdad
3 May 2003 (2003-05-03 )
29 June 2004 (2004-06-29 )
1 year, 5 months
[ 6] [ 9]
Ambassador of Australia to Iraq
29 June 2004 (2004-06-29 )
October 2004 (2004-10 )
10
Howard Brown
October 2004
August 2006
1 year, 10 months
[ 7]
11
Marc Innes-Brown
August 2006
August 2008
2 years
[ 10]
12
Robert Tyson
August 2008
August 2011
3 years
[ 11]
13
Lyndall Sachs
August 2011
20 July 2015 (2015-07-20 )
3 years, 11 months
[ 12] [ 13]
14
Christopher Langman
20 July 2015 (2015-07-20 )
10 January 2018 (2018-01-10 )
2 years, 174 days
[ 14] [ 15]
15
Dr Joanne Loundes
10 January 2018 (2018-01-10 )
16 December 2020 (2020-12-16 )
2 years, 341 days
[ 16]
16
Paula Ganly
16 December 2020 (2020-12-16 )
incumbent
3 years, 290 days
[ 17]
See also
References
^ CA 6659: Australian Embassy, Iraq [Baghdad] , National Archives of Australia, retrieved 30 June 2015
^ "Bilateral relations" . Australian Embassy, Iraq . Australian Government. Retrieved 1 July 2015 .
^ "Diplomacy" . The Canberra Times . ACT: National Library of Australia. 3 December 1973. p. 3. Retrieved 2 July 2015 .
^ "IN BRIEF" . The Canberra Times . ACT: National Library of Australia. 28 October 1976. p. 17. Retrieved 2 July 2015 .
^ a b Colvin, Mark (19 February 2003). "Former ambassador discusses Iraq" . ABC Radio National - PM. Retrieved 1 July 2015 .
^ a b Moore, Matthew (3 May 2003). "Australia to open mission in Baghdad" . The Age . Fairfax Media. Archived from the original on 12 September 2011.
^ a b Downer, Alexander (27 August 2004). "Diplomatic Appointment: Ambassador to Iraq" (Press release). Australian Government. Archived from the original on 12 February 2014.
^ "IN BRIEF Citizenship" . The Canberra Times . ACT: National Library of Australia. 28 October 1976. p. 17. Retrieved 2 July 2015 .
^ Downer, Alexander (29 June 2004). "Diplomatic Appointment: Ambassador to Iraq" (Press release). Australian Government. Archived from the original on 12 February 2014.
^ Downer, Alexander (15 August 2006). "Diplomatic Appointment: Ambassador to Iraq" (Press release). Australian Government. Archived from the original on 12 April 2015.
^ Smith, Stephen (16 June 2008). "Diplomatic Appointment - Ambassador to Iraq" (Press release). Australian Government. Archived from the original on 6 April 2015.
^ Rudd, Kevin (30 July 2011). "Diplomatic appointment - Ambassador to Iraq" (Press release). Australian Government. Archived from the original on 29 March 2015.
^ Benson, Simon (28 June 2014). "Brave Aussie ambassador in Baghdad Lyndall Sachs has stayed on amid the escalating crisis" . The Daily Telegraph . News Corp.
^ Bishop, Julie (20 July 2015). "Ambassador to Iraq" (Press release). Australian Government. Archived from the original on 23 August 2015.
^ "Diplomat appointed new Iraq ambassador" . SBS. AAP. 20 July 2015.
^ Bishop, Julie (10 January 2018). "Ambassador to Iraq" (Press release). Australian Government.
^ Payne, Marise. "Ambassador to Iraq" . Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade . Retrieved 21 May 2022 .
External links