Miroslav Lajčák
Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, Slovakia
Miroslav Lajčák has dedicated his professional life to diplomatic service, representing both
the Slovak Republic and the international community. He joined the foreign service of then
Czechoslovakia in 1988. A key figure in the mediation of the post-conflict crises in the Western
Balkans, Lajčák negotiated, organised and supervised the referendum on the independence of
Montenegro in 2006 on behalf of the EU. In 2007, Lajčák was appointed High Representative of
the International Community and EU Special Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina. During
his tenure, Bosnia and Herzegovina signed the landmark Stabilization and Association Agreement
with the EU. From 2010 to 2012, Lajčák helped shape the newly formed diplomatic service of the
EU, the European External Action Service, as its Managing Director for Europe and Central Asia.
In addition, he also served as the EU´s Chief Negotiator for the Association Agreements of the EU
with Ukraine and Moldova, as well as the EU Representative for the “5+2 Talks” on the Transnistrian
Settlement Process. In 2017, the General Assembly of the United Nations elected Lajčák of as
President of its seventy-second session, which spanned from September 2017 to September 2018.
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Updated: March 25, 2019
