Foreign Ministry Shuffle

Jan. 11, 2011

Alexander Lukashevich will replace Andrei Nesterenko as the Foreign Ministry’s main spokesman at the Kremlin’s orders, Kommersant reported Tuesday.

Nesterenko, who is tipped to be named ambassador to Montenegro, displeased the Kremlin in June when he reiterated Moscow’s commitment to supply S-300 missiles to Iran, not knowing that the government’s policy had changed and the deal was to be frozen, the report said.

No official confirmation followed the report Tuesday, but Kommersant said Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov would announce the reshuffle Thursday.

Both Nesterenko and Lukashevich are career diplomats.

(MT)

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