partner. Every U.S. ambassador who's dealt with him has found him to be a guy who could get things done." Georgiy Mamedov holds a Ph.D. in history and speaks English and Swedish in addition to Russian. He is married and has two adult children, a son and daughter. Views on the Iraq war Prior to the U.S. invasion of Iraq, Mamedov declared in an interview with ITAR-TASS that the United States was making a "tragic error": "If Washington decides to ignore the UN Security Council, to violate the UN Charter and invade Iraq, this will be a tragic error from the side of the U.S.A.... Russia categorically rejects any ultimatums regarding Iraq.... In Russia we consider that Iraq constitutes neither a threat to the U.S.A, nor to the international community, nor to its neighbors.... Russia will not participate in a campaign of pressure or threats, directed at changing the regime in Iraq." When asked what Russia would do if there were a U.S. military operation, Mamedov replied: "Russia will not launch an anti-American campaign, but will try its utmost to return the situation to a proper legal basis. We will not gloat over a tragic mistake by the United States." References External links Photograph of Mamedov Living people 1947 births Soviet diplomats Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary (Russian Federation) Ambassadors of Russia to Canada Diplomats from Moscow Russian people of Azerbaijani descent