KABUL - Barna Karimi has been nominated as Afghan ambassador to Canada by President Hamid Karzai through a presidential decree, an official said on Monday. His nomination as ambassador to Canada was proposed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and approved by the president, Tamana Faramoz, deputy spokeswoman for foreign affairs ministry, told reporters.

She said the appointment had been shared and communicated with Canadian officials through diplomatic channels pending Canada's approval, Faramoz added.

Karimi has worked as Deputy Minister for Policy and Coordination in the Independent Directorate of Local Governance (IDLG) from September 2007 till his new job.

Born on October 13, 1974, Barna Karimi has more than 14 years of experience in different capacities, including Deputy Chief of Staff to President Karzai, President of ALMA USA ENTERPRISE INC. (Los Angeles, CA) and General Manager in Triton Inc.

Fluent in English, Dari, Pashto and Czech, he received his bachelor's in business marketing and master's in business administration.