diplomat
A diplomat (from grc, δίπλωμα; romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state or an intergovernmental institution such as the United Nations or the European Union to conduct diplomacy with one or more other states or internati ...
.
Career
Erdmann was born in
Münster
Münster (; nds, Mönster) is an independent city (''Kreisfreie Stadt'') in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also a state distr ...
, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. He joined the
German Foreign Service
, logo = DEgov-AA-Logo en.svg
, logo_width = 260 px
, image = Auswaertiges Amt Berlin Eingang.jpg
, picture_width = 300px
, image_caption = Entrance to the Foreign Office building
, headquarters = Werderscher Mark ...
in 1982. In 1984 he completed his diplomatic-consular state exam and became Personal Assistant of Parliamentary State Secretary (State Minister) Alois Mertes at the Foreign Office,
Bonn
The federal city of Bonn ( lat, Bonna) is a city on the banks of the Rhine in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, with a population of over 300,000. About south-southeast of Cologne, Bonn is in the southernmost part of the Rhine-Ruhr r ...
. From 1985 to 1987 he was delegated as Second Secretary to the German Embassy
Helsinki
Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...
and subsequently until 1990 as First Secretary to the German Delegation to
NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...
,
Brussels
Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...
.
In 1990 he returned to the Foreign Office in
Bonn
The federal city of Bonn ( lat, Bonna) is a city on the banks of the Rhine in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, with a population of over 300,000. About south-southeast of Cologne, Bonn is in the southernmost part of the Rhine-Ruhr r ...
as Desk Officer at the Press Division. In 1993 he was appointed Deputy Press Spokesman of the Federal Foreign Office, Bonn and in 1995 Federal Foreign Minister
Klaus Kinkel
Klaus Kinkel (17 December 1936 – 4 March 2019)
(
Fifth Kohl cabinet
The Fifth Kohl cabinet led by Helmut Kohl was sworn in on 15 November 1994 and laid down its function on 27 October 1998. The cabinet was formed after the 1994 elections. It laid down its function after the formation of the Cabinet Schröder ...
) appointed him Spokesman of the Federal Foreign Office, Bonn, a task which Ambassador Erdmann held until summer 1999, after the change of government in fall 1998 under Federal Foreign Minister
Joschka Fischer
Joseph Martin "Joschka" Fischer (born 12 April 1948) is a German retired politician of the Alliance 90/The Greens. He served as the foreign minister and as the vice-chancellor of Germany in the cabinet of Gerhard Schröder from 1998 to 2005. Fis ...
.
As preparation for subsequent missions as Minister Counsellor and Minister Plenipotentiary (Deputy Ambassador) at the German Delegation to NATO, Brussels he completed Senior Course 95 for
NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...
executives at the
NATO Defence College
NATO Defense College (NDC) is the international military college for North Atlantic Treaty Organization countries. It is located in Rome, Italy.
History
The idea of a NATO Defense College originated with General Dwight D. Eisenhower, the f ...
,
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
(August 1999 until February 2000). Following his mission as Minister Plenipotentiary Erdmann joined the international staff of NATO Headquarters, Brussels in summer 2005. He was appointed by the then NATO Secretary General
Jaap de Hoop Scheffer
Jakob Gijsbert "Jaap" de Hoop Scheffer ; born 3 April 1948) is a Dutch politician and diplomat of the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) party and jurist who served as Secretary General of NATO from January 2004 to August 2009.
De Hoop Scheffer ...
to NATO Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs corresponding to the role of Political Director at a national Foreign Ministry.
In January 2010 he returned for a short period to the Foreign Office in Berlin until he was appointed Permanent Representative of the Federal Republic of Germany on the
North Atlantic Council
The North Atlantic Council (NAC) is the principal political decision-making body of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), consisting of permanent representatives of its member countries. It was established by Article 9 of the North A ...
, Brussels in March 2010. From 1 October 2014 until end of July 2015 he acted as Dean of the
North Atlantic Council
The North Atlantic Council (NAC) is the principal political decision-making body of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), consisting of permanent representatives of its member countries. It was established by Article 9 of the North A ...
(NAC).
Since August 2015 Erdmann has been serving as Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany in Turkey. During his time in office, Turkey's Foreign Ministry summoned him in March 2016 over a satirical broadcast by German television station NDR that featured " Erdowie, Erdowo, Erdoğan", a two-minute satirical song mocking Turkish President
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (born 26 February 1954) is a Turkish politician serving as the List of presidents of Turkey, 12th and current president of Turkey since 2014. He previously served as prime minister of Turkey from 2003 to 2014 and as Lis ...
. In March 2017, the foreign ministry summoned him again after the municipality of
Gaggenau
Gaggenau is a town in the district of Rastatt, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is located some 8 km northeast of Baden-Baden.
History
Gaggenau was first mentioned in local records in 1243 under the name "Gaggenaw". The present district ...
in southwestern Germany revoked permission for a campaign event for that year's
constitutional referendum
A referendum (plural: referendums or less commonly referenda) is a direct vote by the electorate on a proposal, law, or political issue. This is in contrast to an issue being voted on by a representative. This may result in the adoption of a ...
at which Turkish
Justice Minister
A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a v ...
Bekir Bozdağ
Bekir Bozdağ (born 1 April 1965) is a Turkish lawyer and politician of Kurdish origin and current Minister of Justice.http://www.rudaw.net/turkish/middleeast/turkey/060520162 On 6 July 2011 he was appointed as the Deputy Prime Minister in the ...
Politico Europe
''Politico Europe'' (stylized as ''POLITICO Europe'') is the European edition of the German-owned news organization ''Politico'' reporting on political affairs of the European Union. Its headquarters are located in Brussels with additional offices ...
''.
Recognition
Erdmann is recipient of foreign orders of merit as well as decorations and medals. Erdmann is married and has three children.