OTTAWA - Ron Hoffmann, deputy head of mission at the Canadian embassy in Afghanistan, has been promoted to ambassador in Kabul.
He replaces Arif Lalani, who is joining the Munk Centre for International Studies at the University of Toronto as a senior visiting fellow.
The new ambassador to Afghanistan is a career diplomat who joined Foreign Affairs in 1989 and has held posts in The Hague, Johannesburg, Beijing and London.
The department says Hoffmann will oversee a number of Canadian development projects in Afghanistan.
Foreign Affairs Minister David Emerson called Hoffmann "a seasoned senior diplomat with a distinguished reputation."
"He brings tremendous experience to his new post and will ensure that Canada continues to make an important contribution to helping rebuild the lives of millions of men, women and children throughout Afghanistan."
