Tim Guldimann

Tim Guldimann is a Swiss former diplomat and retired politician. Guldimann served in several posts representing Switzerland, including in Iran, where he served as a liaison between the country and the United States. He represented Zürich as member of the National Council—the first elected while living outside the country, in Berlin—from 2015 until his resignation in March 2018.

Diplomatic career

Guldimann began working for the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs in 1982, retiring in 1991.[1] From 1996 to 1999,[1] worked as negotiator for the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe in Croatia and Chechnya.[2]

Guldimann re-entered the Swiss foreign service as Swiss ambassador to Iran from 1997 to 2004.[1] During his term, in May 2003, he relayed a document to the U.S. that he said was written by Sadegh Kharazi, the nephew of Iran's then-foreign minister Kamal Kharazi (the Swiss represented the United States in Tehran). The document, known as the Schweizer Memorandum (de) in German, laid out a proposal to begin discussions over a large range of issues in Iran–United States relations. Guldimann was distrusted by a number of figures in the administration of George W. Bush, including Richard Armitage, who suspected Guldimann may have authored large amounts of the document on his own.[3]

Guldimann was appointed OSCE Envoy to Ukraine in 2014.[4] He was criticized by some American and European diplomats for his perceived pro-Russian bias.[5]

Political career

Guldimann served for two-and-a-half years as a member of the National Council, representing Zürich for the Social Democratic Party Social Democratic Party of Switzerland before resigning in March 2018.[6] He was the first Swiss legislator elected while living abroad, in Berlin, where he had previously served as Swiss ambassador to Germany.[2] He remained as an expatriate in Berlin while serving as a National Councillor. After his resignation, his seat was succeeded by Fabian Molina.[6]

References
  1. "Ambassador Tim Guldimann". www.osce.org. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
  2. Gigon, Ariane (26 October 2015). "The man hoping to be the voice of the Swiss abroad". Swissinfo. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
  3. Maloney, Suzanne (Summer 2008). "U.S. Policy Toward Iran: Missed Opportunities and Paths Forward" (PDF). The Fletcher Forum of World Affairs. 32 (2): 30. Retrieved 29 October 2020. Armitage stated that "we came to have some questions about where the Iranian message ended and the Swiss message may begin."
  4. "OSCE Chair appoints Personal Envoy on Ukraine and announces OSCE team to identify support measures". OSCE. 24 February 2014. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
  5. Ahmari, Sohrab (15 May 2014). "An Unfair Broker for Ukraine". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
  6. "Swiss expat parliamentarian resigns". Swissinfo. 19 February 2018. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
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