As part of a significant structural reorganization inside the Foreign Ministry,
the ministry’s appointment committee named three new senior deputy
directors-general on Thursday, who will be in charge of new function-based
directorates.
Ran Curiel, the returning ambassador to the EU in Brussels,
will head the directorate overseeing diplomatic activity; Pini Avivi, who has
been the deputy director-general for Russia and Eurasia, was named head of the
directorate dealing with multilateral and global issues; and Gideon Meir, the
returning ambassador to Italy, will head the public affairs
directorate.
RELATED:Israel and South Sudan formally establish ties Israel, Turkey get more time before UN flotilla report Curiel’s directorate will be responsible for all bilateral
relations, with all the regional division and country desks – such as the
European Division, the Latin American Division and the North American Division –
now under his directorate’s authority.
Aviv’s directorate will be the
umbrella over the departments in the ministry that deal with the UN,
international organizations, economic issues and international aid.
And
the public affairs directorate will house the public affairs and spokesman
units, as well as the departments dealing with religious affairs and Jewish and
Diaspora affairs.
The Center for Policy Research – the intelligence
branch of the ministry – will remain independent. Additionally, Naor Gilon,
currently head of the European division, was appointed Thursday as the new envoy
to Italy.