Sweden’s Ambassador Urban Ahlin, Perfect for the Job
• January 22, 2024

Ambassador Urban Ahlin presented his credentials to President Joe Biden in August 2023. I met with Ahlin in his spectacular Georgetown office at the House of Sweden that overlooks the […]

A Meeting with Kuwait’s History-Making Ambassador to the U.S.
• December 28, 2023

I recently met with Sheikha Al-Zain Al-Sabah, Kuwaiti Ambassador to the United States. She presented her credentials to President Biden on April 19, 2023 and is the first Kuwaiti woman […]

Café Divan, a Neighborhood Favorite 
• May 11, 2022

Situated prominently on the triangular corner of 34th Street and Wisconsin Avenue NW is the popular Turkish restaurant Café Divan, owned by Cavit Ozturk, along with its latest addition, the […]

Diplomatic Encounters: Colombian Ambassador, Juan Carlos Pinzon
• January 6, 2022

In August, 2021, Juan Carlos Pinzon, Colombian Ambassador to the United States, presented his credentials virtually to President Biden. Pinzon had previously served as Ambassador to the U.S. from 2015-2017. He returned to Colombia under a new Colombian president, only to return […]

An Embassy Chat with Albanian Ambassador Floreta Faber
• November 17, 2021

Albania, a small country on the Adriatic with three million people, is little known to Americans. I was therefore particularly glad to meet with its warm and gracious Ambassador, Floreta […]

A Chat With Iceland’s New Ambassador
• January 29, 2020

Warm and welcoming, Bergdís Ellertsdóttir obviously enjoys her job. In fact, the ambassador of Iceland to the U.S. says with a smile, she has loved every one of her jobs. […]

Azerbaijan’s Diplomatic Couple in Georgetown
• September 26, 2018

More than six years and counting. That’s how long Ambassador Elin Suleymanov and his striking wife, Lala Abdurahimova, have resided in Georgetown while representing their country, the Republic of Azerbaijan. […]

Diplomatic Encounter: Sweden
• December 6, 2017

Ambassador Karin Olofsdotter is no stranger to the United States, to Washington, D.C., or, for that matter, to Georgetown. Comfortably sitting in her corner office overlooking the Potomac at House […]

Diplomatic Encounters: Japan
• October 25, 2017

Nobuko’s winning smile and welcoming personality, along with the ambassador’s charm and sense of humor, have made Ken (short for Kenichiro) and Nobuko Sasae one of the most popular diplomatic […]

Diplomatic Encounters: Meridian’s Stuart Holliday
• September 28, 2017

A doorway to America and a window on the world, Meridian International Center welcomes Washington’s many diplomats to life in Washington while, at the same time, offering Washingtonians a unique […]