New Nicaraguan Foreign Minister Appointed by Dictator Ortega

Diplomat Valdrack Jaentschke will be the new Foreign Minister of Nicaragua, announced Vice President Rosario Murillo during her daily address on government media.

According to Murillo, the current Foreign Minister, Denis Moncada, leaves the post for “health reasons” but will be appointed as a presidential advisor for international policies.” Both changes will be become official on Friday. 

The appointment of Valdrack Jaentschke follows the regime’s failure to secure his position as Secretary-General of the Central American Integration System (SICA).

Valdrack Jaentschke: A Loyal Figure of the Regime

Valdrack Jaentschke is one of the regime’s most loyal figures within the diplomatic corps. From 2007 to 2021, he served as Deputy Foreign Minister while simultaneously holding 15 other diplomatic positions.

A civil society source described him in a Confidencial profile as a “skilled and intelligent political operator, and for those two reasons, I would add a third trait: dangerous.”

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Since July 2022, Jaentschke has held the position of Minister Counselor with consular duties at the Nicaraguan Embassy in Costa Rica. He also serves as a Presidential Advisor on Policies and International Affairs.

Jaentschke has previously served as Nicaragua’s ambassador to Honduras and Guatemala. He hails from Bluefields in the Southern Caribbean Region and is a sociologist by profession. He was also an institutional development advisor to the Ministry of Defense during Enrique Bolaños’ government (2002-2007).

Additionally, he has been a member of the Economic and Financial Cabinet representing the Foreign Ministry, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs for the Caribbean, Nicaragua’s representative to the Association of Caribbean States (ACS), and representative to the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), among other roles.

Nicaragua’s Third Foreign Minister Since 2007

Valdrack Jaentschke replaces retired military officer Denis Moncada as Nicaragua’s Foreign Minister. Moncada had previously succeeded Samuel Santos López, who held the position for a decade before being named an advisor upon his departure.

This article was published in Spanish in Confidencial and translated by Havana Times. To get the most relevant news from our English coverage delivered straight to your inbox, subscribe to The Dispatch.