Lajčak appointed as the new EU ambassador to Switzerland

The head of European diplomacy, Josep Borelj, appointed new heads of EU delegations in 44 countries, including the Western Balkans.

The appointment process within the diplomatic rotation will be completed with the receipt of official agreements from the host countries, the European External Affairs Service (EEAS) announced today.

Among the newly appointed European diplomats is the current ambassador of Estonia to the EU, Aivo Orav, who will be the head of the EU Office in Kosovo and special representative, instead of Tomas Sunjog. Orav was previously the head of the EU delegations in North Macedonia and Montenegro.

The special representative for dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, Slovakian diplomat Miroslav Lajčak, has been appointed as the new EU ambassador to Switzerland, but the name of his successor will not be known before the formation of the new European Commission after the June European Parliament elections.

The Slovenian newspaper Delo previously announced that the former Slovenian president Borut Pahor could replace Lajčak as the special envoy for dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina.

Italian diplomat Luigi Soreka will be the new head of the EU Delegation in Sarajevo, which also has the status of a special representative of the EU. Soreka is a former EU ambassador to Albania.

Soreka will succeed Johan Zatler, who will become the EU ambassador to Montenegro.

The EU ambassador in North Macedonia will be the Greek diplomat Rokas Mihalis, the former ambassador of the Union in Mexico.

EEAS Director General for Europe Angelina Eichhorst has been appointed EU Ambassador to Egypt.

Jekaterina Dordonova, advisor for the Western Balkans in the EEAS who was also the deputy head of the EU Delegation to Bosnia and Herzegovina, is leaving to become the EU ambassador to Ecuador.