Anna Jolanta Sochańska is a Polish

diplomat A diplomat (from ; romanization, romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state (polity), state, International organization, intergovernmental, or Non-governmental organization, nongovernmental institution to conduct diplomacy with one ...

who served as an

Ambassador An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or so ...

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

between 2019 and 2023.

Life

Sochańska received master's degree from the Institute of Social Prevention and Resocialization at

University of Warsaw The University of Warsaw (, ) is a public university, public research university in Warsaw, Poland. Established on November 19, 1816, it is the largest institution of higher learning in the country, offering 37 different fields of study as well ...

, writing her thesis about the informal behavior of prisoners in concentration camps. She also studied at the

College of Europe The College of Europe (; ; ) is a post-graduate institute of European studies with three campuses in Bruges, Belgium; Warsaw, Poland; and Tirana, Albania. The College of Europe in Bruges was founded in 1949 as a result of the 1948 Congress of ...

Bruges Bruges ( , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the province of West Flanders, in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is in the northwest of the country, and is the sixth most populous city in the country. The area of the whole city amoun ...

(1993–1994). In 1991, Sochańska started her professional career at the Ministry of Health, where she was responsible for international scientific cooperation. In 1994, she worked for the Office of the Council of Ministers, specifically at the office of the Plenipotentiary for European Integration. In 1995, she joined the

Ministry of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and relations, diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral r ...

and became a member of the team negotiating the accession of Poland to the European Union, in charge of handling foreign and security policy issues and external affairs. In 1997, she served at the embassy in

the Hague The Hague ( ) is the capital city of the South Holland province of the Netherlands. With a population of over half a million, it is the third-largest city in the Netherlands. Situated on the west coast facing the North Sea, The Hague is the c ...

during the Dutch and Luxembourg EU presidency. Between 2001 and 2006 she was a

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for EU matters at the embassy in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

.Upon her return to the MFA, Sochańska was appointed as the head of the EU enlargement policy division and afterwards – a deputy director for South-Eastern Europe, EU Enlargement and the external aspects of migration. In 2014, Sochańska was awarded with Gold Cross of Merit. In 2018, she became director of the Department of European Policy. In August 2019, Sochańska was nominated Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Poland to Ireland. She presented her

letter of credence A letter of credence (, ) is a formal Diplomatic correspondence, diplomatic letter that designates a diplomat as ambassador to another sovereign state. Commonly known as diplomatic credentials, the letter is addressed from one head of state to an ...

in October 2019 to the

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

Michael D. Higgins Michael Daniel Higgins (; born 18 April 1941) is an Irish politician, poet, broadcaster, and sociologist who has been serving as the president of Ireland since 2011. Entering national politics through the Labour Party, he served as a senator ...

. She ended her term on 25 August 2023. On 1 December 2023, she became deputy director of the Department of Public and Cultural Diplomacy.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sochanska, Anna 1960s births Ambassadors of Poland to Ireland Living people Recipients of the Gold Cross of Merit (Poland) University of Warsaw alumni Date of birth missing (living people) College of Europe alumni Polish women ambassadors