Ambassador Iztok Mirošič

Ambassador Iztok Mirošič was born on 21 March 1968 in Postojna, Slovenia. He graduated in 1995 from the Faculty of Social Sciences in Ljubljana, in Political Science – International Relations. He is fluent in English, Italian, Serbian and Croatian, and understands German and Russian. He is married to Tina Kokalj and has a daughter Avalon Gemma.

Ambassador Mirošič is a veteran of the Slovenian War of Independence in 1991, a recipient of a Commemorative Medal for the participation in the Slovenian War of Independence, and an author of several articles and studies on foreign policy and international relations. He was also among the founders of the Slovenian Committee on NATO in 2002 and received the highest honors of the Knight of the Grand Cross of the Merit Order of the Italian Republic.

Ambassador Mirošič is the current Ambassador of the Republic of Slovenia to the United States of America, the United Mexican States, the Republic of Panama and the Republic of Costa Rica. Ambassador Mirošič is also the current Plenipotentiary Representative of the Republic of Slovenia to the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and Permanent Observer of the Republic of Slovenia to the Organization of American States (OAS).

Before assuming his current role, he served as the Ambassador at Large at the Ministry for Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Slovenia (MFEA) in the position of Special Envoy of the Minister for the Future of Europe. He also held the position of Director of Programme of the Bled Strategic Forum (BSF).

In addition to being State Secretary and key foreign policy and EU adviser to the Prime Minister, he served as a Deputy Foreign Minister and State Secretary responsible for the EU, EU political bilateral relations and global bilateral economic and cultural relations at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Slovenia (MFA) (2017–2018). He used to work as Ambassador-at-Large for key strategic tasks of the MFA and Special Envoy of the Minister of Foreign Affairs (2019–2021).

In his long professional career, he also served as the Ambassador of the Republic of Slovenia to the Italian Republic, Malta, San Marino, Libya and Tunisia, and Permanent Representative to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and World Food Programme (WFP) (2010–2015); as Director-General for European affairs and bilateral political relations at the MFA (2009–2010); and as Ambassador of Slovenia to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the first Slovenian Permanent Representative to the International Maritime Organization (IMO) (2004 – 2008). Between 2009 and 2010, he also served as a Special Coordinator for relations and border issues with the Republic of Croatia, co-president of the Slovenian-Croatian Mixed Commission for the resolution of the open issues between the two states, and negotiator for the Arbitration Agreement for the establishment of border between Slovenia and Croatia.

Other governmental positions and duties in the MFA:

In 2004, he was the Ministerial Counsellor (a ministerial rank in the government) for international relations and the principal adviser of the Prime Minister for foreign policy and the European Union, and State Secretary and foreign policy adviser to the Prime Minister. In 2003, he was the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and State Secretary at the MFA, responsible for bilateral political relations and the European Union.

In his career he also served as the State Undersecretary and Chief of Cabinet of the Foreign Minister (2000–2003); State Undersecretary and member of the Committee for the Cooperation between the Republic of Slovenia and the Autonomous Region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia (Italy) (2002); Adviser to the Government and Head of the Department for South- Eastern Europe at MFA, Head of the Special Working Group for South-Eastern Europe and for the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations with the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (2000); Chief Secretary of the State Committee for the Preparation of the Visit of the President of the United States of America Bill Clinton to the Republic of Slovenia (1999); Adviser to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Secretary of the Commission of the Government of the Republic of Slovenia for Succession to the Former SFR Yugoslavia, and member of the negotiating delegation of the Republic of Slovenia for Negotiations on Succession to the Former SFRY (1998); member of the Board of the Fund of the Republic of Slovenia for Succession to the former SFRY (1998); Head of Office of the State Secretary and Deputy Foreign Minister at the MFA, responsible for the issues of succession to the former SFR Yugoslavia, the relations with South-Eastern European countries, Stability Pact, NATO and the EU (1997–2000); and Senior Adviser at the MFA for relations of Slovenia with Italy and the Holy See (Vatican), and for cooperation in the Central European Initiative (1995–1997).