Anna Azari

Anna Azari (; born 27 August 1959) is an Israeli diplomat, and the current Ambassador of Israel to the Czech Republic. She has previously been Israel's Ambassador to Russia (2006–2010) and Poland (2014–2019).

Early life and education She was born in Vilnius, Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic in 1959 and emigrated to Israel with her family in 1972. Azari attended the University of Haifa, earning a bachelor's degree in history and English literature and a master's in political science. She also garnered a Special Program in Russian Studies from Hebrew University and graduated from the National Security College.

Career She has been in the Israeli Foreign Service since the 1980s, and lived in San Francisco from 1989 to 1992, serving as consul-general of Israel to the Pacific Northwest.

From 1995 to 1997 Azari was first secretary at the Embassy of Israel in Moscow. Following her tenure in Ukraine, Azari ran the Ministry's Eurasia Department where she handled relations with former Soviet states.

She was appointed as ambassador to Russia by Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni in 2006 and presented her credentials to Russian president Vladimir Putin on 18 January 2007. Over the course of her tenure, Israel and Russia agreed to eliminate the visa requirement for tourists traveling between the two countries and Russia ended a deal to sell Iran S-300 surface-to-air missiles. In an interview with Rossiyskaya Gazeta prior to her departure, Azari stated that relations between Israel and Russia had improved markedly and that she saw the level of diplomatic activity nearing a par with Russia's relations with bigger countries, such as Germany.

Personal life Azari is married to Rabbi Meir Azari who leads the Reform Judaism congregation of Beit Daniel in Tel Aviv and together they have two children. When her appointment as ambassador to Russia was announced, Greer Fay Cashman of The Jerusalem Post suggested her marriage could be a source of contention with orthodox religious communities in Russia.