A Conversation with H.E. Nicole Bintner-Bakshian Ambassador of Luxembourg to the U.S.

This event is being held in-person and is open to everyone.

Although Luxembourg’s land mass covers only 1,000 square miles, this European nation is a global leader in sustainability, transatlantic partnerships, and economic innovation. What are Luxembourg’s unique historical ties to both the U.S. and Minnesota and what is its role in addressing global challenges today?

The Minnesota Chapter of the Fulbright Association, in partnership with Global Minnesota and the American Swedish Institute, invite you to join us for a 5:30 pm reception with H.E. Nicole Bintner-Bakshian Ambassador of Luxembourg to the U.S. At 7:00 pm following light appetizers and a cash bar, she will share insights on Luxembourg’s history, current geopolitical priorities, and close partnership with Minnesota.

Global Minnesota members and Minnesota Fulbright Association members receive discounted admission. Members are welcome to bring a guest at the member rate.

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Speaker: H.E. Nicole Bintner-Bakshian Ambassador of Luxembourg to the U.S.

H.E. Nicole Bintner-Bakshian serves as the Ambassador of Luxembourg to the United States. She joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1999, where she served in many capacities including the deputy Head of Protocol and private secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs. After joining the Asian Development Bank in Manila, Philippines as advisor to the executive board, she returned to diplomatic service as deputy Chief of Mission in China and in Thailand, until she became Luxembourg’s first ambassador to the United Arab Emirates.

In 2017 she set up Luxembourg’s first regional embassy in Dakar, Senegal, covering Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger as well, while also serving as the country’s Special Envoy to the Sahel region. Ms. Bintner-Bakshian studied at the University of Luxembourg, the European School of Management EAP-ESCP (Paris, Oxford, Berlin), as well as at the Asian Institute of Technology (Bangkok, Thailand). She was born in Pétange, Luxembourg in 1970 and speaks fluent German, French, English, and Luxembourgish.

“The United States and Luxembourg have long enjoyed a solid relationship. Diplomatic relations were established in 1903 and ties go back almost 200 years with an important emigration out of Luxembourg. Luxembourg will always be grateful for its liberation by American troops at the end of World War II. A strong economic and trade relationship has developed since then, as well as a network of vibrant and varied cultural and student exchanges. The Embassy manages the political, economic and cultural ties between the United States and Luxembourg and provides consular services to Luxembourg citizens as well as visa services to foreign visitors.” –H.E. Ambassador Nicole Bintner-Bakshian

Moderator: Mary Curtin

Mary Curtin served as diplomat-in-residence at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota from 2013 – 2023 after a 25-year career as a Department of State Foreign Service Officer. During her tenure, she served at the US Mission to the EU in Brussels; as political counselor in Warsaw, Poland; and at missions in Tunisia, Mali, and Chile, as well as in Washington, DC. She has expertise in issues including Middle East policy; European affairs, including the EU and NATO; human rights and democratization, and non-proliferation. She was a member of the U.S. delegation to the 1995 UN Conference on Women. She earned a Ph.D. in history from Columbia University in the City of New York (1986), writing her dissertation on “Hubert H. Humphrey and the Politics of the Cold War, 1943–1954.”

Please contact Melisa Gildner at mgildner@globalminnesota.org for questions or accessibility accommodations.