54-year old Frank Hans Dannenberg Castellanos, a star of the Dominican diplomatic corps, passed away in Montreal, Canada, the victim of a heart attack on Saturday, 23 December 2023. He had bravely weathered cancer for many years; he did not look sick and continued to impress all who met recently with him with his usual vitality and enthusiasm. He had recently completed cancer treatment in Boston, Massachusetts.
Hans, as he was popularly known, was a career diplomat. Diario Libre editorial called him “everyone’s ambassador” for his accessibility and the scope of his actions. Throughout his career his focus was on bilateral cooperation, tourism and economic linkages. He is also recognized for exemplary support to Dominicans living in the countries he represented.
He is appreciated for his acute sense of regional and global strategy and negotiating skills that opened doors and helped build stronger ties for the Dominican Republic, bolstering the international positioning of the Dominican Republic.
He is remembered for his nobility and generosity. He was known for his ability to connect people and find solutions.
His service in the diplomatic corps extended for around 17 years. His first two stations were marked by their difficulty – India and Russia. Canada was going to be a breeze.
In November 2023, he had presented credentials as Dominican Ambassador and Plenipotentiary to the Canadian government after his appointment by decree in July 2023. At the time of his sudden passing, the diplomat, who was stationed in Ottawa, was in Montreal for the Christmas holidays with his family.
Dannenberg Castellanos was the Dominican Republic’s first ambassador to India, when he was appointed in 2006 by then President Leonel Fernandez. In India for many years he was the dean of diplomatic corps.
Upon learning of Dannenberg Castellano’s decease, the External Affairs Minister of India S. Jaishankar commented on his X (Twitter) account: “Deeply grieved to learn of the passing away of Ambassador Hans Dannenberg of the Dominican Republic. He was an extraordinary friend of India and of so many of us personally. His tenure as the Dean of the Diplomatic Corps in New Delhi is fondly remembered by those who served then. He personally built Dominican Republic’s relationship with India and took it to great political and economic heights.”
When Dannenberg Castellanos was in India, he was also concurrent to Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Philippines and Mauritius Island. In many countries, he was the first to present credential letters for the Dominican Republic.
He served in India through 2021, when President Luis Abinader appointed him to Russia in July 2021 with the change in government. He served in Russia through July 2023.
During the Covid-19 epidemic, he successfully endeavored to secure direct flights from several Russian destinations and the Russians were among the first tourists to arrive and fill Dominican resorts once these reopened in 2021. The Russian boom would end with the start of the war in Ukraine.
When based in Moscow, Dannenberg Castellanos also was concurrent to several central Asia countries.
During his term in Russia he was also concurrent in Belarus, Moldovia, Armenia, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistán and Mongolia.
Dannenberg Castellanos had come up from the tourism ranks, where he honed airline traffic and tourism marketing skills. Working in the private sector at Allegro Hotels and APA Airline, he was named deputy minister at the Ministry of Tourism. Subsequently he was appointed in 2006, ambassador to India. He was a strong promoter of Dominican travel to India.
The Ministry of Foreign Relations is preparing his burial in the Dominican Republic. He is survived by his wife Giselle and his two young sons, Hans Manuel and Marcus. A mass in his memory was announced by the Ministry of Foreign Relations to be held Thursday, 28 December at 2pm at the Notre Dam Cathedral in Ottawa, Canada. His remains will return in ashes for the tribute ceremonies in the Dominican Republic.
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26 December 2023