UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday appointed a former president of Kyrgyzstan as his new special envoy for Afghanistan.Roza Otunbayeva replaces Deborah Lyons, who stepped down in mid-June, the United Nations said in a statement.Otunbayeva served as Kyrgyz president during 2010-2011 and on three occasions as foreign minister.

She was a member of parliament during 2007-2010 and served as deputy prime minister in 1991. Otunbayeva has also served as Kyrgyz ambassador to the United States and Canada (1992-1994) and as ambassador to the United Kingdom (1997-2002). Presently, she is a member of the United Nations Secretary-General&s High-Level Advisory Board on Mediation.Otunbayeva holds a Doctorate in Philosophy from Moscow State University and a degree from the Philosophy Faculty of the Moscow State University. The post Former Kyrgyz president becomes UN envoy for Afghanistan first appeared on Ariana News.