Ambassador Stefano Pontecorvo completes NATO mission

Newswire

Rome: Italy’s senior diplomat Ambassador Stefano Pontecorvo this week completed his term with the NATO as his Senior Civilian Representative.

“Today my NATO mandate ends. Going back to the MFA. Thank you to @jensstoltenberg for the appreciation, trust and support throughout my mission. I’m grateful to all the wonderful people I have met and been privileged to work with, starting with my extraordinary team,” he tweeted.

On June 1, 2020, Ambassador Pontecorvo had taken up his role as the NATO Senior Civilian Representative in Afghanistan.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg had then said: “Ambassador Pontecorvo brings a long-standing diplomatic experience, including on Afghanistan and the broad regional context. I look forward to working closely with him at this critical juncture for Afghanistan’s future.”

Working with the NATO-led Resolute Support mission which trains, advises and assists the Afghan security forces and institutions, Ambassador Pontecorvo advised the NATO Secretary General and the North Atlantic Council on the Alliance’s efforts in Afghanistan and relations with Afghan partners.

He remained in contact with senior members of the Afghan government, Afghan officials and other prominent national and local officials. He also engaged with representatives of the international community, Afghan civil society and non-governmental organisations.

Ambassador Stefano Pontecorvo previously served as Italy’s Ambassador to Pakistan for more than four years. In 2013-2015, he was the Diplomatic Adviser to the Italian Defence Minister, working on NATO political-military issues, including on Afghanistan, where Italy is one of the framework nations of the Resolute Support Mission. His previous posts included that of Deputy Head of Mission at the Italian Embassies in London and Moscow.