Germany is sending Ottawa a diplomatic double-act two ambassadors for the price of one

Germany soon will be represented in Ottawa by two ambassadors a novel arrangement for a G7 bilateral relationship with Canada.

Matthias Lttenberg and Tjorven Bellmann, a married couple with three children, are the new ambassadors-designate for Germany in Ottawa.

"This is a new model also for us as a family, but we are looking forward to this,"Lttenberg saidin an interview airing Saturday onCBC'sThe House.

The couple will share the ambassadorshipon a rotating basis when they officially assume the post. Bellmannwill serve in the post first, whileLttenberg cares for their kids.

"Every eight months, we will rotate,"Lttenberg said. "So one of us will be the ambassador of Germany to Canada and the other one will take care of our children."

The House7:03Two-for-one: Meet Germanys new ambassadors to Canada

Catherine Cullen visits Matthias Lttenberg and Tjorven Bellmann, Germanys incoming ambassadors to Canada and parents of three who will split the diplomatic posting in a novel arrangement.

Both ambassadors-delegate are experienced diplomats. Bellmann was G7 political director for Germany, andLttenbergwas a director in the German foreign ministry dealing with eastern Europe.

The two said that after more than a decade of intense workin Berlin, this istheir last chance to take a posting together and spend more time with their children before they are grown.

It's the first time such an arrangement has come toOttawa, and while Germany has experience with similar co-ambassadorships in other countries, this will be the first such tandem ambassadorshipin a G7 capital. The two countries have a deepbilateral relationship that, in recent years, hasincluded effortsto support Ukraine's defence and a recent deal to export Canadianhydrogen.

The couple told host Catherine Cullen that the Canadians they'vespoken with have a lot of questions about the dual ambassadorship many of them about money.

"Yes, we're sharing one salary, and I think we'll survive,"Lttenberg said.

Bellmann saidBerlin has embraced thisnew model of diplomacy similar co-ambassador models have been used inSweden, Slovenia andGermany's Montreal consulate because of the changing job market and the needs of younger Germans in the foreign service.

"In order to stay an attractive employer foryoung people ... we want the best and the brightest, and they have demands. We felt that we neededto make the service more flexible," she said.

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The couple said they felt they had a responsibility to make the arrangementwork. They said they'll bechallenged to maintaina clear line between work and family life as their roles shift.

"I think in the end it's all about communication. You really have to communicate to each other," Bellmann said."The advice we got was to really keep the roles separate and not mix them and be very clear of who's in charge of what at what time, so that it's clear for staff, but it's also clear for the host country and the kids.

"It's a new experiment for us as well. And I think we will just grow with it and live through it and try to make it work. We will certainly do our best."