Pierre Cochard, 59, studied at the Institut d’Etudes Politiques (IEP), Paris, and France’s National Administration School (ENA – École nationale d’administration), completing his studies in 1989.
He also completed a study trip to Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Amman, from April to June 2005, with the Diplomatic Institute (MFA, France), contributing to a collective report on the Peace Process and the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. He first served his country’s MFA in the Strategic Affairs and Disarmament Department, where he held the post of Classical Disarmament and Measures of Trust Redactor from 1989 to ’94.
His first foreign posting came at the Embassy of France in Teheran, where he served as Political Counsellor, External, Policy and Regional Environment, from 1994 to ’97, after which he served as Political Counsellor at the Embassy of France in Tokyo (Sept. ’97 to Mar. 2001). Returning to France, he held the post of Deputy Director General, Political and Security Department Head, at the French MFA from March 2012 to September 2016, before serving three years (Sept. 2016 to Sept. 2019) as Consul General of France in Jerusalem.
He was also General Secretary of the French Delegation to the 74th General Assembly of the UN in New York from September to December 2019. Prior to arriving in Belgrade, from January 2020 to November 2021, he served as Foreign Affairs Inspector General at the General Inspectorate of the French MFA. A Married father of three, Ambassador Cochard holds the title of Minister Plenipotentiary, 1st class, and – in addition to his native French – speaks English and Persian.
