news

[global times comprehensive report] a "couple" will soon serve as german ambassadors to canada, and they will only receive one salary during their tenure. according to the canadian broadcasting corporation (cbc) on the 7th, lettenberg and bellman are a couple of diplomats from germany, and they have three children. regarding the upcoming "rotating" ambassador, lettenberg said in the cbc program "the house" broadcast on the same day: "this is a new challenge for our whole family, and we are full of expectations."

on september 4, 2024, german ambassador to canada leitenberg and bellman took a photo outside the german ambassador's residence in ottawa. source: foreign media

after officially taking office, the lettenberg couple will take turns serving as german ambassadors to canada. according to the plan, bellman will serve as ambassador first, and lettenberg will be responsible for taking care of the children during this period. "we rotate every 8 months." lettenberg said. as the roles change, they will face the challenge of how to maintain a clear boundary between work and family life. it is reported that both lettenberg and bellman are experienced diplomats. lettenberg was responsible for managing eastern european affairs in the german foreign ministry, while bellman served in the group of seven (g7) as director of german political affairs. in an interview with karen, host of "the house", the lettenberg couple said that many people have questions about this "husband and wife team"-dual ambassador model, many of which are about salary. "yes, we share a salary." they said.

it is reported that this is not the first attempt by germany to send a "husband and wife team" as ambassadors to canada. in 2020, the german foreign ministry appointed a diplomat couple as the german ambassador to slovenia. this is the first "husband and wife team" ambassador appointed by germany. in addition to germany, switzerland appointed a diplomat couple as "joint ambassadors" to thailand in 2009, and france appointed a diplomat couple as ambassadors to croatia in 2016. the german government declared: "we want to recruit the best and most high-quality talents. in order to remain attractive to young talents, we need to make policies more flexible. try to meet their wishes to balance their work with their family or spouse." the lettenberg couple also said that they feel they have a responsibility to make this model work.

cbc reported that this is the first time that germany has sent a husband-and-wife ambassador team to canada, and also the first time that germany has sent a husband-and-wife ambassador team to a g7 member country. some experts believe that this model is more conducive to the development of diplomatic work, because the affinity of a harmonious ambassador couple in diplomatic occasions is very important. in addition, this model also helps promote gender equality, that is, both men and women should have the opportunity to show themselves in the workplace and fulfill their obligations to take care of the family. (zhou yang)