Regina Veronica Maria "Renée" Jones-Bos (; born 20 December 1952) is a Dutch civil servant and diplomat. She served as Ambassador of the Netherlands to

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-ei ...

from 2016 to 2019. Previously, Jones-Bos was Ambassador to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

in Washington, D.C. (2007–2012) and Secretary-General at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in

The Hague The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital o ...

(2012–2016).

Early life and education

Jones-Bos was born on 20 December 1952 in

Oud-Beijerland Oud-Beijerland () is a town and former municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland, now a part of the Hoeksche Waard municipality. With a population of 24,575 in 2020, it is the most populous town of the Hoeksche Waar ...

in the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

, where she also grew up. She holds a Masters of Arts degree in Russian Studies from the

University of Sussex , mottoeng = Be Still and Know , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £14.4 million (2020) , budget = £319.6 million (2019–20) , chancellor = Sanjeev Bhaskar , vice_chancellor = Sasha Roseneil , ...

(United Kingdom) and a degree in Russian and English Studies, Politics and Economics from the University of Antwerp (Belgium).

Career

Before joining the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Jones-Bos worked as a translator/interpreter. She speaks

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

, Italian and Russian. Jones-Bos possesses extensive experience in diplomacy and has steadily risen through the ranks of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. From 1987 to 1990, she was First Secretary to the Embassy of the Netherlands in Washington. Prior to her appointment to Washington, Jones-Bos served as Director-General for Regional Policy and Consular Affairs, and as Ambassador-at-Large for Human Rights. Jones-Bos also served as the Head of the Security Council Task Force of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Previous duties within the Ministry also included: Deputy Chief of Mission to the Royal Netherlands Embassy in

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...

, Czech Republic; Head of Recruitment & Training; and postings in

Dhaka Dhaka ( or ; bn, ঢাকা, Ḍhākā, ), List of renamed places in Bangladesh, formerly known as Dacca, is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Bangladesh, largest city of Bangladesh, as well as the world's largest ...

, Bangladesh;

Paramaribo Paramaribo (; ; nicknamed Par'bo) is the capital and largest city of Suriname, located on the banks of the Suriname River in the Paramaribo District. Paramaribo has a population of roughly 241,000 people (2012 census), almost half of Suriname's po ...

, Suriname; and

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

, USSR. Jones-Bos has held several board positions throughout her career with many institutions including: the Supervisory Board of the Leiden University Medical Center; the Netherlands Society for International Affairs (NGIZ); the Advisory Board of the University of Tilburg; and the Selection Board of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Jones-Bos served as the 44th Netherlands Ambassador to the United States from 2007 to 2012. She presented her Letters of Credential to President George W. Bush on 18 September 2008. At the time, she said about her work: "For more than 400 years, the Netherlands and the United States have been joined by the values of freedom, justice and an entrepreneurial spirit. A vibrant economic force, the Netherlands is also the third largest investor in America and a reliable trade and investment partner to the U.S. Together with my team at the Embassy and the Dutch Consulates General and Honorary Consuls in the U.S., we promote strong bilateral relations between the United States and the Netherlands in the areas of security and international law; food and nutrition; energy and climate; and water management." From 2012 to 2016, Jones-Bos was Secretary-General at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in The Hague.Mark Kranenburg,
Renée Jones-Bos nieuwe ambassadeur Moskou
(in Dutch), ''

NRC Handelsblad ''NRC'', previously called ''NRC Handelsblad'' (), is a daily morning newspaper published in the Netherlands by NRC Media. It is generally accepted as a newspaper of record in the Netherlands. History ''NRC Handelsblad'' was first published on 1 ...

'', 2015. Retrieved 30 September 2016. Since the summer of 2016, Jones-Bos has been the Netherlands Ambassador to Russia. In October 2018, the Russian foreign ministry summoned her over what it described as a campaign of disinformation against Russia; Dutch authorities had previously said they had disrupted an attempt by Russian intelligence agents to hack the

Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) is an intergovernmental organisation and the implementing body for the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), which entered into force on 29 April 1997. The OPCW, with its 193 member ...

(OPCW), detaining and then expelling four men. Jones-Bos retired in August 2019.

Personal life

Jones-Bos and her husband, Richard Jones, have two children.

References

External links

The Royal Netherlands Embassy - Washington D.C.Ambassador's DeskRenée Jones-Bos on Twitter
''Politico'', 11/12/09 {{DEFAULTSORT:Jones-Bos, Renee 1952 births Living people People from Oud-Beijerland Alumni of the University of Sussex University of Antwerp alumni Ambassadors of the Netherlands to the United States Ambassadors of the Netherlands to Russia Dutch civil servants Dutch women diplomats Dutch women ambassadors