His Excellency Nabil Ammar, Ambassador of Tunisia to the UK was born in Tunis on 7 September 1965. He is married and has two daughters.
Nabil holds a Masters Degree in Economics and Management from the University of Paris 1, Pantheon-Sorbonne, a post graduate degree from the National School of Public Administration in Tunis and completed further studies in 2012 at the Institute of National Defence in Tunis.
He’s diplomatic and international career has spanned 24 years in a variety of roles and countries. It began in 1991 in a Minister’s office in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA). He subsequently went on to work for a Minister for International Cooperation and Foreign Investment between 1992 and 1995. In 1998 he took up the prestigious positions of Minister Plenipotentiary at the Embassy of Tunisia to Austria and Deputy Permanent Representative of Tunisia to the United Nations, Vienna.
In 2000, he returned to the Ministry as Deputy-Director in charge of cooperation with Austria, Turkey, Scandinavia, Cyprus, Malta and Vatican, at the MFA. Between 2003 and 2005, he held the posts of Deputy-Director for Central and Latin America, Director-Inspector and Director for the African Union at the MFA before heading to Rome to become Minister Plenipotentiary at the Tunisian Embassy, and Deputy Permanent Representative to FAO.
Nabil left Rome after two years to become Chargé d’Affaires, Head of Mission of Tunisia to Oslo, Norway but then returned to the MFA in Tunisia as Advisor to the Minister in 2011. He remained at the Ministry until December 2012 in the post of Director General for Africa and the African Union.
In December 2012, he became the Ambassador of Tunisia to United Kingdom, and was then the Ambassador of Tunisia to Ireland, before returning to the post of Ambassador of Tunisia to the UK, which he holds today.
1) What is your current position?
I am the Tunisian Ambassador to the United Kingdom and Ireland with residence in London.
2) What are your proudest achievements?
I feel proud every day in bringing my contribution to enhance friendship and fruitful cooperation between Tunisia and the United Kingdom, including March the 5th this year when I have been awarded the Grassroot Diplomat Initiative Award 2015, Business Driver Category, in a gala dinner where I could say: “this distinction is for Tunisia and its great people in particular for those who have given and dedicated their life for freedom and dignity”.
3) What inspires you?
The continuous and historical message of peace from the Tunisian people together with humility and pragmatism are the pillars of my inspiration.
4) What has been the biggest obstacle in your career?
There were some obstacles in my career. They were not too big.
5) Who has been the biggest influence on your career to date?
I may say that my parents, with the education and the principles, they gave me, have had the biggest influence on my career. I am a son of a brilliant Ambassador who has always inspired me as an example to follow.
6) What is the best aspect about your current role?Meeting different people, many of them are very interesting, in order to build new connexions and bridges to serve peace, friendship, and a better understanding between our two peoples is certainly the most attractive aspect about my mission in London.
7) And the worst?The worst aspect would be to have to go through sad events with violence and human suffering at the end.
8) What are your long term goals?
My long term goal is to have the chance to be always satisfied in my private life and in serving peacefully my country and peace worldwide.
9) If you were Prime Minister, what one aspect would you change?
Should I initiate a political career and become Prime minister, I probably would give high priority to consolidate and enhance ethics in politics.
10) If you were marooned on a desert island, which historical figure would you like to spend your time with and why?
I would have liked to have a discussion with late president Habib Bourguiba of Tunisia about what mistakes, if any, does he estimate to have committed in his political life and Why.
