Professional

Present Position:
First Deputy Permanent Secretary/ Director of Middle East and North Africa Division.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Nicosia.

November 2011 to October 2013:
Ambassador/Permanent Representative of the Republic of Cyprus to the United Nations at Geneva

August 2008 to October 2011:
Head of the Diplomatic Office of the President of the Republic

November 2004 to August 2008:
Ambassador to the Russian Federation with parallel accreditations to Armenia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Belarus.

December 2001 to November 2004:
Ambassador to Greece with parallel accreditations to Albania, Bulgaria and Romania.

September 1998 to December 2001:
Ambassador to Sweden with accreditations to Iceland, Norway, Latvia and Denmark.

September 1997-August 1998:
Director, Office of the Foreign Minister

March 1996-August 1997:
Director, Office of the Permanent Secretary

1993-1998:
Member of presidential working team during the UN-sponsored inter-communal negotiations.

September 1989- August 1993:
First Secretary, Embassy of Cyprus in Washington, DC.

Academic and personal

Leonidas Pantelides was born in Nicosia on 14 December 1952 and is the father of four grown-up children.

He studied Philosophy and holds a PhD from the Interdisciplinary Studies Department of the University of Kent, Canterbury, England (1983). The subject of his doctoral dissertation was the concept of Time.

Published a book on Philosophy (2003). Also wrote a number of articles on various philosophical, political and cultural subjects. He is a regular public speaker.

He has taught International Affairs as part-time professor and is a member of the Advisory Board of The Diplomatic Academy, University of Nicosia.