Bild newspaper wrote on February 11th 2026 about planned changes to personnel in major embassies: Moscow, Mexico, TelAviv amongst others. Without much noise, almost unnoticed, the ambassador rotation was completed. Maria Margarete Gosse is now heading the German Embassy in Mexico City.
Below the Bild newspaper article with more details on the change of ambassadors.
Source: www.bild.de Ausland und Internationales: Berlin tauscht Botschafter aus
Rotation of diplomats between embassies
Berlin/Tel Aviv – A major personnel shake-up is brewing at the Federal Foreign Office! Several top posts in German foreign policy are set to change hands—and these involve absolutely key locations. The current ambassador to Moscow, Alexander Graf Lambsdorff (59), could soon move to Tel Aviv. This is a significant move! Why? The post in Israel is one of the most sensitive in Berlin’s diplomatic landscape.
His predecessor there—Steffen Seibert (65), the former government spokesman for Angela Merkel (71) and ex-ZDF journalist (“heute journal”)—would then retire as scheduled. A long-anticipated departure, making way for new faces. This is being reported by Spiegel and Table Media.
But that is not all: Clemens von Goetze (63) is slated to succeed Lambsdorff in the delicate post near the Kremlin. The experienced diplomat currently heads the German mission in Mexico City. So, it’s Moscow instead of Mexico. In Mexico City, meanwhile, the current ambassador to Madrid, Maria Margarete Gosse (63), is expected to take over. She could be succeeded in Madrid by Ambassador Heiko Thoms. This comes as a surprise. He had only assumed the post in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, last summer at the request of Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul (63), after the federal government appointed Martin Jäger from that position to head the Federal Intelligence Service (BND). However, the succession in Ukraine still appears to be undecided.
A change also appears imminent in India: Jasper Wieck, currently Political Director at the Ministry of Defence, is set to take charge of the embassy in New Delhi. The current head of mission there, Philipp Ackermann (60), is set to move to Beijing as ambassador. A diplomatic reshuffle involving two global heavyweights!
And there is more: these changes, along with others regarding the missions in Madrid and Brasília, are due to be discussed by the Cabinet this Wednesday. Things are likely to get heated behind closed doors regarding these posts (salary grade B9: a fixed base salary of approximately €13,294.99 to €13,693.84 per month).
Curriculum of Maria Margarete Gosse
Maria Margarete GosseNacida el 6 de julio de 1962 en Múnich, casada
Trayectoria profesional:
| Agosto 2026 | Embajada en México, Embajadora designada en México |
| 2022 – 2026 | Embajadora ante el Reino de España y el Principado de Andorra |
| 2018 – 2022 | Directora General de Servicios Centrales, |
| 2017 – 2018 | Ministerio Federal de Relaciones Exteriores, Berlín |
| 2014 – 2017 | Ministerio Federal de Relaciones Exteriores, Berlín |
| 2012 – 2014 | Embajada en París, Francia |
| 2010 – 2012 | Ministerio Federal de Relaciones Exteriores, Berlín |
| 2008 – 2010 | Ministerio Federal de Relaciones Exteriores, Berlín |
| 2005 – 2008 | Embajada en Pekín, China |
| 2004 – 2005 | Ministerio Federal de Relaciones Exteriores, Berlín |
| 2000 – 2004 | Ministerio Federal de Relaciones Exteriores, Berlín |
| 1999 – 2000 | Ministerio Federal de Relaciones Exteriores, Berlín |
| 1996 – 1999 | Consulado General en Barcelona, España |
| 1995 – 1996 | Ministerio Federal de Relaciones Exteriores, Bonn |
| Desde 1994 | Servicio Exterior |
| 1993 | 2° Examen de Estado de Derecho |
| 1982 – 1990 | Estudios universitarios de Derecho y Filología Alemana, Universidad de Ratisbona y Múnich
|