Dr. Martin Longden, the newly-appointed head of the British Embassy in Lebanon, has landed in Beirut, a month after former British Ambassador to Lebanon Chris Rampling stepped down from his position.
Before his appointment as Chargé d’Affaires in Lebanon, Dr. Longden was the UK’s Special Envoy to Syria; a position he occupied in 2017 until last month.
Prior to that, between February 2015 and July 2017, he served as Deputy Ambassador in the British Embassy in Kabul.
This was after he had spent 3 years as Head of Department at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London, where he oversaw the UK’s Overseas Territories.
Dr. Longden has also filled other diplomatic roles, including Head of Communications at the British Embassy in Washington DC, between 2009 and 2011, in addition to Deputy Press Secretary to the Foreign Secretary and Strategic Policy Advisor working on Middle East Affairs.
He holds a Ph.D in History, awarded by the University of Leeds in 2000.
Upon landing in Beirut, Dr. Longden went under quarantine. “So much important work to do together – at such a critical moment. And time is ticking…” he stated in a tweet on Tuesday.
Taking over from former Ambassador Chris Rampling, who announced his resignation in December, Dr. Longden will head the British Embassy in Lebanon for the next six months.