France appoints 37-year crime specialist as ambassador to Romania

French President Francois Hollande appointed Michele Ramis, a career diplomat specialized in international crime and money laundering, as France's extraordinary and plenipotentiary ambassador to Romania. Ramis replaces Francois Saint-Paul, who has been “called to other offices”, according to the appointment decree, reports local News.ro. Hollande signed the decree on April 20 and the document was published in the French Official Gazette two days later. Michele Ramis is a career diplomat with the rank of minister working in the French Foreign Ministry since 1980. She has been ambassador in charge of transnational crime threats since January 2013 and has participated in the fight against various types of criminal trafficking, as well as against corruption and money laundering, according to the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs. From 2011 to 2012 she was a diplomatic counselor in the French Ministry of Defense. She has had several diplomatic positions in Latin America: Colombia, Mexico, and Guatemala. Ramis also worked at French missions to international organizations in Vienna and the Geneva Disarmament Conference. According to her, women diplomats have had “an essential contribution to solving crises and major international issues.” editor@romania-insider.com