Germany's Ambassador to Czech Republic 'to Head Bulgarian Mission'

Detlef Lingemann, the German Ambassador to the Czech Republic, is the successor to outgoing Matthias Hoepfner, who represented the country in Bulgaria, reports say.

The information came from the website Dnevnik.bg, which quoted Germany's Foreign Ministry as confirming his appointment.

Lingemann, 59, has gathered diplomatic experience since 1981 and has worked at German embassies in the Soviet Union (1983-1986), Mali (1986-1989) and the US (1995-2000).

He was Germany's top representative in Azerbaijan between 2000 and 2004 and Deputy Ambassador to Moscow from 2006 to 2008.

Lingemann has been the German envoy to the Czech Republic since 2009.

According to Dnevnik.bg, he is most likely to arrive in August.

Matthias Hoepfner, who currently holds the position, came under the spotlight last autumn, when he voiced criticism at media ownership in Bulgaria, saying media outlets were playing an excessive role in the country's politics.

Earlier, he also slammed the daily Monitor for allegedly removing sections in an interview where he outlined some issues within Bulgaria's media landscape.

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