Ambassador Rassoul's Biography
Dr Zalmai Rassoul
Dr Zalmai Rassoul has a wealth of experience in diplomacy, international affairs, governance, and consensus building. He served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan from January 2010 to October 2013.
As the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr Zalmai Rassoul played an instrumental role in reshaping, strengthening, and expanding Afghanistan’s bilateral relations with countries at the regional, global and multilateral level. Under his leadership, significant progress was made towards promoting regional cooperation with Afghanistan’s neighbours and through multilateral agencies. As such, within his vision, the Heart of Asia-Istanbul Process was launched in 2011, as one of the key Afghan-led multi-stakeholder platforms for sincere and results-oriented regional cooperation, partnership, and consensus building. Furthermore, recognizing the urgency of multilateral cooperation in Afghanistan’s critical juncture, he prioritized the drive to revitalize the country’s foreign relations and membership with international organizations.