site.btaWhite House: Bulgarian Diplomat Nickolay Mladenov Appointed High Representative for Gaza Strip

Former Bulgarian Minister of Defence and Foreign Affairs and former UN envoy for the Middle East Nickolay Mladenov has been appointed High Representative for the Gaza Strip, the White House said on its website. It published a list of members of the Gaza Peace Council - a body that, under a plan by U.S. President Donald Trump, will temporarily administer the Palestinian enclave.

"In this capacity, he will act as the on-the-ground link between the Board of Peace and the NCAG [National Committee for the Administration of Gaza]. He will support the Board’s oversight of all aspects of Gaza’s governance, reconstruction, and development, while ensuring coordination across civilian and security pillars," the White House said.

The members of the Council include U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner. The Council also includes billionaire Marc Rowan, President of the World Bank Ajay Banga, and Trump adviser Robert Gabriel, the White House added.

Mladenov, 53, is an experienced diplomat who has held a number of high-level positions in Bulgaria and in international organizations. His current position is Director-General of the Anwar Gargash Diplomatic Academy (AGDA) in the United Arab Emirates. He was member of Bulgaria's 39th National Assembly (2001–2005) and Member of the European Parliament (2007–2009). He was also Bulgarian Minister of Defence (2009–2010) and Minister of Foreign Affairs (2010–2013). In 2013, Mladenov was appointed Special Representative and Head of the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI). From 2015 until the end of 2020, he served as the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, playing a key role in efforts to de-escalate tensions between Israel and the Palestinians. After leaving his UN post, he joined the Washington Institute for Near East Policy as a visiting fellow.