Israel's Foreign Ministry
Photo: Guy Assayag
Woman to serve as Israeli ambassador in Muslim country
Carmela Shamir makes history by becoming Jewish state's ambassador in Uzbekistan; her deputy will also be a woman
Carmela Shamir will soon begin her term as Israeli ambassador in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, making her the first female Israeli envoy to serve in a Muslim country, Yedioth Ahronoth reported Monday.
Another woman, Hagit Mualem, will serve as the deputy ambassador in the Israeli embassy in Tashkent.
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The Foreign Ministry's appointments committee approved Shamir and Mualem appointment as the top two Israeli representatives in Uzbekistan, which borders with Afghanistan and is also close to Iran. Some 95% of Uzbekistan's population is Muslim.
Ambassador Shamir will present her credentials to the president of Uzbekistan, Islam Karimov, who has ruled the Central Asian country since the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1990.
Tashkent has also approved the appointment of Shamir and Mualem, both of whom are very highly regarded by their peers in the Foreign Service.
"Currently there are 12 women who serve as heads of Israeli missions abroad, and additional female envoys are due to begin their service abroad soon," said senior Foreign Ministry official Yossi Regev.
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