Germany sends a couple ambassador to Canada for the first time, sharing one salary and attracting attention

Recently, Germany's move to send a "couple diplomat" to Canada has drawn widespread attention. The diplomat couple from Germany, Leitgenberg and Behrmann, will jointly take up the post of German ambassador to Canada, and during their tenure, they will only share one salary.

Leitgenberg and Behrmann have three children. After officially taking office, they will take turns serving as ambassador, rotating every eight months. Behrmann will take the lead first, and during this period, Leitgenberg will be responsible for taking care of the children. Leitgenberg said that this is a new challenge for the whole family, but they are also full of expectations.

Both of them are experienced diplomats. Leitgenberg was formerly responsible for Eastern European affairs in the German Foreign Ministry, and Behrmann has served in the G7 and served as the head of German political affairs. Facing many questions from the outside world about the "couple diplomat" dual-ambassador model, especially regarding salary, they frankly admitted to sharing one salary.

This is not the first time Germany has tried the "couple diplomat" ambassador model. As early as 2020, the German Foreign Ministry appointed a diplomat couple to jointly serve as the German ambassador to Slovenia. In addition, Switzerland had a similar appointment in 2009 and France in 2016. The German government said that it hopes to recruit outstanding talents in this way and meet their desire to balance work and family. Some experts believe that this model is beneficial to the conduct of diplomatic work. The affinity of a harmonious ambassador couple in diplomatic occasions is very important, and it also helps promote gender equality. This unique appointment by Germany undoubtedly brings new exploration and thinking to the field of diplomacy, and its subsequent development and effectiveness are also highly anticipated.