The Chief Secretary of the Council of Ministers heads our mission in Slovenia
Official Minister of Foreign Affairs Nikolay Milkov will be the new permanent representative of Bulgaria in NATO, and his deputy, Kostadin Kodjabashev, will be appointed as our country’s ambassador to the Vatican.
This was approved by the government at its last meeting this Wednesday. It will also be sent for approval to President Rumen Radev, who must issue a decree for their appointment.
The post of Bulgaria’s permanent representative in NATO has been vacant for the second year already. Until November 2021, he was held by Dragomir Zakov, but he returned to Bulgaria to become Minister of Defense in the government of Kiril Petkov. After the fall of the cabinet, Zakov did not return to this position, but no new representative was elected. Milkov himself said a month ago that he would be looking for a new person.
Before becoming the acting foreign minister, Milkov worked as the Bulgarian ambassador to France, also in charge of Monaco. With the same decision with which he was appointed as a representative in NATO, he was released from this position.
The official deputy minister of foreign affairs and spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Kostadin Kodjabashev will go to the Vatican. He will replace Bogdan Patashev, whose term is expiring.
“Kostadin Kodjabashev was born on March 5, 1962 in Smolyan. In 1989, he joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where he worked as an expert in the Latin America department and the International Organizations department, head of the Latin America department in the Asia, Africa, Latin America and Australia Directorate, Deputy Chief and Acting Head of the NATO and Security Affairs Directorate, Head of the Latin America Department in the Americas Directorate.
Over the years, he held the posts of attaché at the Embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria in Lagos, Nigeria; third and second secretary at the Embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria in Harare, Zimbabwe; first secretary and counselor at the Embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria in Rome, Italy, as well as deputy head of the mission; counselor and minister plenipotentiary at the Embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria in Madrid, Kingdom of Spain, and deputy head of the mission.
From 2009 to 2012, he was appointed as the Consul General of the Republic of Bulgaria in Valencia, Kingdom of Spain, then until 2016 he held the position of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Bulgaria to the Kingdom of Spain and the Principality of Andorra.
From the end of 2016 to the beginning of 2019, he was the Director General of the General Directorate “Bilateral Relations” at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He was Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Bulgaria to Ukraine. He was appointed acting Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs in the caretaker government with Prime Minister Galab Donev. He speaks Spanish, English and Russian. It uses French and Italian,” the EC decision makes clear.
Kodjabashev held the post of ambassador to Ukraine before becoming deputy minister. Our embassy in Kyiv was closed at the start of the war in February 2022, but reopened last September. It is currently run by a lower level diplomat rather than an ambassador.
The fact that Bulgaria’s mission in Slovenia will be headed by the current Chief Secretary of the Council of Ministers, Krasimir Bojanov, is another decision of the government. He will replace Mladen Chervenyakov, whose term is also expiring.
“Krasimir Svilenov Bojanov graduated in law from Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”. For 12 years he worked in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He held positions in the “International Law” Directorate and in the “Legal” Directorate, which he continued to head at the age of 4, as well as holds a diplomatic position in the Permanent Representation of the Republic of Bulgaria to the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, France.He holds the diplomatic rank of “Counselor” since 2012.
Since 2016, he has been the director of the Directorate “Modernization of the Administration” in the administration of the Council of Ministers. From 2021, he performs the functions of the Chief Secretary of the Council of Ministers. He chaired various formats in the field of public administration during the Bulgarian Presidency of the European Union. He has significant management experience in the public sector and in project implementation and coordination. He speaks English, French and Russian, he speaks Spanish,” the government’s decision states.
There is also a change of ambassadors in two other countries. Ambassador of Bulgaria to Norway and Iceland will be Desislava Ivanova – Kozleva. She is a career diplomat. He currently works as the director of the Directorate “Eastern Europe and Central Asia” (EECA) at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“Ms. Ivanova-Kozleva has successfully led the directorate entrusted to her for almost two years – in a period of unprecedented changes caused by Russia’s war in Ukraine and significant consequences for regional, European and global security. The period also coincides with changes in focus and the perceptions towards the region of Central Asia, whose visibility and importance have risen sharply over the past years, and with it the intensity of Bulgaria’s bilateral relations with the countries of the region”, says the government.
She will replace Vera Shatilova-Mitsarova.
Maya Dobreva will be the new ambassador of Bulgaria to Moldova. She takes the place of Evgeni Stoychev.
“Maya Nikolova Dobreva was born on May 6, 1961 in the town of Kardzhali. She has a master’s degree in economics with a second specialty – a master’s degree in labor management. She has been working at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs since November 1991. Over the years, she has specialized in various countries, such as Great Britain, Switzerland, USA, South Korea, Finland.
Currently, Ambassador Dobreva is Director General “Political Affairs”, being responsible for the Common Foreign and Security Policy of the European Union, for the Common Security and Defense Policy, countering hybrid threats and sanctions regimes, for the Security Policy – NATO, OSCE , and regional security, arms control and non-proliferation, horizontal competences in relation to issues related to the EU’s Common Foreign Policy, relations with non-EU third countries and NATO.
Over the years, Maya Dobreva has held the following positions on foreign mandates:
1997-2001 – Canada – Deputy Head of Mission and Consul;
2004-2006 – Belarus – Minister Plenipotentiary, interim ruler;
2009-2013 – Montenegro – Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary;
2016-2020 – Kingdom of Belgium – Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, also accredited to the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.
In the Central Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Maya Dobreva was the head of the “Foreign Economic Policy” Department (1992-1997), director of the “Europe II” Directorate – bilateral relations with EU, NATO, EFTA member states (2001-2004), director of the “Europe III” directorate – bilateral relations with Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, the South Caucasus, Central Asia (2007-2009), director of the “Southeastern Europe” directorate – the countries of the Western Balkans, Romania, Greece, Turkey, Cyprus (2013 – 2016), Acting permanent secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2014-2015, combined in her capacity as director of the “SEEE” Directorate), acting general director “Bilateral relations” and acting Director General “European Affairs” in 2021-2022 (jointly in her capacity as Director General “Political Affairs”). In 2021, she was the head of the working group at the MFA on the evacuation from Afghanistan, and in 2022 – the head of the working group at the MFA on Ukraine.
For her work over the years, she has been awarded the following state awards:
Order of the King of the Belgians as director of the Europe II Directorate;
Order of the King of Spain as Director of Directorate
“Europe II”;
Order from the President of Portugal as director of the “Europe II” Directorate;
Order of the President of Montenegro for special merits as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Bulgaria in Montenegro;
Medals from Pope John Paul II;
Honors from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs – for the presidency of the Council of the EU.
Ambassador Maya Dobreva is fluent in English, Russian, Serbian/Montenegrin and German,” the Council of Ministers said.
