mo4ch:>Moscow’s pick of new envoy to conflict-ridden CAR is ‘good choice’ – ex-diplomat to RT | Mo4ch News

Moscow has assigned a new envoy to the Central African Republic (CAR) as the country faces fresh internal conflicts. However, appointing a new ambassador is nothing out of the ordinary, a veteran diplomat told RT.Vladimir Titorenko was appointed ambassador to CAR on Tuesday. He replaced Sergei Lobanov, who had been Moscow's envoy since 2011. A career diplomat, Titorenko, 60, was stationed in Iraq in the 1990s, following the Gulf War. He eventually became chief envoy to the Arab nation not long before US President George W. Bush launched an invasion in 2003. Moscow ordered the evacuation of its mission as US troops were storming Baghdad. Titorenko was wounded when the diplomats' motorcade was caught in crossfire. He was awarded with the Order of Courage soon after, becoming the first ambassador Russia to receive this state decoration.Upon leaving Iraq and recovering, Titorenko served as ambassador to Algeria and then to Qatar. In 2011, he was injured while defending diplomatic …