Joseph Cole has been appointed Malta's ambassador in the United States. He will be presenting his letters of credence in the coming weeks.
Mr Cole, who has been working in the Foreign Ministry for a number of years, was recently appointed director general for European and Economic Affairs.
Throughout his career he served as director for matters concerning multilateral diplomacy, he was consul general in Sydney between 1983 and 1985 and deputy head of the British High Commission between 1998 and 2001.
Ambassador Cole was also chairman of the Sanctions Monitoring Board whose function was crucial during the Libya crisis and also in the implementation of sanctions on Iran and other countries.