H.E. Nickolay Mladenov

His Excellency Nickolay Mladenov has served as the Director General of the Anwar Gargash Diplomatic Academy (AGDA), since February 2022. As the head of the Academy's international faculty, he works to ensure the highest standards of diplomatic education, in nurturing the next generation of Emirati diplomats. With a career spanning over 20 years in Middle East and European politics, Mladenov served as the UN Secretary General's Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process and Envoy to the Middle East Quartet between 2015 and 2020. In 2013, Mladenov was appointed as United Nations Special Representative for Iraq and Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) by the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. Mladenov served as the Bulgarian Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2010 to 2013 and as the Bulgarian Minister of Defense from 2009 to 2010. Mladenov was also a Member of the European Parliament from 2007 to 2009, and also led the EU Election Observation Mission for the parliamentary and presidential elections in Ghana in 2008. His Excellency Mladenov was a Member of the Bulgarian Parliament for Varna (2001-2005). In February 2021, Mladenov was awarded the Grand Star of the Order of Jerusalem by President Mahmoud Abbas. Mladenov was educated at King's College London, where he obtained an MA in War Studies and prior to that he graduated from the University of National and World Economy in Sofia, where he majored in International Relations.