Božo Cerar

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Božo Cerar was born 16. October 1949 in Ljubljana. He is Slovenian State Secretary since 2012.

Professional Career

He having begun his diplomatic career at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1991 as a coordinator of the activities of EU observers in Slovenia. Cerar held the position of Head of Department for Europe and North America between 1991 and 1992. In 1992, until 1996, he was appointed Minister Plenipotentiary at the Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia in London. After his return to Slovenia in 1996, he was Head of the Minister’s Office until 1997, when he was appointed Ambassador of the Republic of Slovenia to Canada. After his return to the internal service in 2001. Cerar headed the Department for Multilateral Relations, and from 2002 to 2003 the NATO Department. In 2004, he was appointed Ambassador of the Republic of Slovenia to Poland. Between 2005 and 2006, he was State Secretary. In 2007, Cerar was appointed Ambassador and Permanent Representative at the Permanent Representation of the Republic of Slovenia to NATO in Brussels, concluding his term in 2011.

In February 2012, Božo Cerar was appointed State Secretary.

Education

Božo Cerar graduated from the Faculty of Law, University of Ljubljana, in 1973, taking an MA in diplomacy from the University of Westminster in London in 1993, and a doctorate in international law from the University of Ljubljana in 1997.

Notable Work

Since coming to Washington, Cerar has been active in the Slovenian-American community, including a stint as a judge of a polka contest at the National Cleveland-Style Polka Hall of Fame in Cleveland. Cerar speaks Slovenian, English, Russian, Polish, Croatian, Greek and French.

Futher Information

Biography at Ministry of Foreign Affairs Webpage [in Slovenian]

External Links and References

ICD Talking Cultural Diplomacy

Biography at ALLGOV