Dr. Ernst-Jörg von Studnitz holds a PhD in law and is chairman of the board of the German-Russian-Forum, an organization that promotes dialogue and civil society cooperation between the two countries. A career diplomat, he has undertaken stints in Ankara, New York and Moscow, where he was Germany’s ambassador to Russia between 1995 and 2002. He has been a member of the board of the German-Russian forum since 2002, and its chairman since 2003.