Alexander Vasiliyevich Golovin , born 5 September 1949 is a Russia

Russia

Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...

n diplomat

Diplomat

A diplomat is a person appointed by a state to conduct diplomacy with another state or international organization. The main functions of diplomats revolve around the representation and protection of the interests and nationals of the sending state, as well as the promotion of information and...

 with the diplomatic rank

Diplomatic rank

Diplomatic rank is the system of professional and social rank used in the world of diplomacy and international relations. Over time it has been formalized on an international basis.-Ranks:...

 of Plenipotentiary Ambassador.

Golovin graduated from the Moscow State Institute of International Relations in 1971, and went on to work in various posts with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the USSR. From 1993 –1996 he was Senior Adviser to the Embassy of Russia in Berlin, and from 1996 –2000 was director of the Fourth European Department at the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

His first ambassador

Ambassador

An ambassador is the highest ranking diplomat who represents a nation and is usually accredited to a foreign sovereign or government, or to an international organization....

ial appointment came in 2000, when he was appointed by Vladimir Putin

Vladimir Putin

Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin served as the second President of the Russian Federation and is the current Prime Minister of Russia, as well as chairman of United Russia and Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Union of Russia and Belarus. He became acting President on 31 December 1999, when...

 at Ambassador of Russia to Austria

Ambassador of Russia to Austria

Russian–Austrian contacts began with Frederick III in 1436, and towards the end of the 15th century, Emperor Maximilian I and Ivan III exchanged diplomatic missions. Regular Russian communications with the Austrian court began in 1698, when Peter the Great led the Grand Embassy to Vienna and met...

 from 4 August 2000, and held this post until 6 August 2004.

Golovin speaks Russian

Russian language

Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...

, English

English language

English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...

, German

German language

German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....

 and French

French language

French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...

.