The Ambassador

Ambassador Vasiliki Gounari

Vasiliki Gounari (Minister Plenipotentiary) was born in Athens. She is a graduate of the Law Faculty of the University of Athens and holds a master’s degree in Public International Law from the University of Aix–Marseille 3 in France.

In 1997, she was admitted to the Diplomatic Academy. From June 1997 to October 1999, she served in the Cabinet of the Alternate Minister for European Affairs.

In October 1999, she was assigned to the Permanent Mission of Greece to the United Nations in Geneva, with responsibilities for disarmament, non-proliferation, arms control and human rights. Subsequently, from August 2003 to October 2007, she served in the Political Section of the Embassy of Greece in Nicosia, Republic of Cyprus.

In August 2007, she assumed a role in the Cabinet of the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Between October 2009 and January 2012, she served as Consul General of Greece in Johannesburg, South Africa.

From January 2012 to August 2017, she served at the EU Delegation to the United Nations and other International Organizations in Geneva, in the Disarmament, Non-Proliferation and Arms Control Section. Subsequently, from September 2017 to July 2019, she served as Head of the Common Security and Defense Policy Section, Directorate for Common Foreign and Security Policy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

From July 2019 to August 2020, she served as a Faculty Advisor at the NATO Defence College in Rome, focusing on the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP), EU-NATO relations, multilateral negotiations and global security challenges.

Subsequently, she served as Director for Sub-Saharan Africa at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

From 2022 to January 2025, she was Ambassador - Representative of Greece to the Political and Security Committee of the European Union.

Ms. Gounari is the first female Permanent Representative of Greece to NATO, having assumed duties on 27.1.2025.

She is fluent in and uses English and French as her working languages. She also has a basic knowledge of Italian.

She is married and has one child.