Today I announce the appointment of Ms Lyndall Sachs PSM as Australia's next Ambassador to Iran.
Australia and Iran share a longstanding and mature bilateral relationship. Our two countries marked 50 years of continuous diplomatic relations last year.
We have made progress on a number of important areas in our bilateral relationship over the past few years, particularly with the re-opening of the Australian Trade Commission in Tehran in 2016.
We have also resumed bilateral discussions on human rights issues, engaged on the common threat posed by Da'esh, and signed a Consular Memorandum of Understanding in 2017.
Ms Sachs is a senior career officer with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and was most recently Chief of Protocol. She has previously served overseas as Head of Mission, Australian Embassy, Baghdad; Commissioner-General, Australian Pavilion, Shanghai World Expo, Shanghai; and Head of Mission, Australian Embassy, Beirut. In Canberra, Ms Sachs has served as Assistant Secretary, Parliamentary and Media Branch, DFAT.
Ms Sachs holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) from the University of Queensland.
I thank outgoing Ambassador Ian Biggs for his contributions to advancing Australia's interests in Iran since 2016.
