Georgi Velikov Panayotov ( bg, Георги Великов Панайотов; born 1968) is a

Bulgarian Bulgarian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Bulgaria * Bulgarians, a South Slavic ethnic group * Bulgarian language, a Slavic language * Bulgarian alphabet * A citizen of Bulgaria, see Demographics of Bulgaria * Bul ...

and was a minister in the Yanev II government Minister of Defence of Bulgaria. He has held numerous posts in the

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria The Ministry of Foreign Affairs ( bg, Министерство на външните работи, Ministerstvo na Vohnšnite raboti, abbreviated ''МВнР'', or ''MVnR'') of Bulgaria is the ministry charged with overseeing the foreign relations o ...

and in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs department for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. He is currently the Permanent Representative of the Republic of Bulgaria to the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...

Biography

Born in the

Bulgarian People's Republic The People's Republic of Bulgaria (PRB; bg, Народна Република България (НРБ), ''Narodna Republika Balgariya, NRB'') was the official name of Bulgaria, when it was a socialist republic from 1946 to 1990, ruled by the ...

, Panayotov graduated from the Moscow State Institute of International Relations with a master's degree in politics. From 1995 until 2000 he was the political officer of the Bulgarian embassy in

Tirana Tirana ( , ; aln, Tirona) is the capital and largest city of Albania. It is located in the centre of the country, enclosed by mountains and hills with Dajti rising to the east and a slight valley to the northwest overlooking the Adriatic Sea ...

Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...

, and then the deputy head of multilateral cooperation in the southeastern European department of the foreign ministry. From 2002, Panayotov was the deputy chief of mission at the Bulgarian embassy in

Kabul Kabul (; ps, , ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern half of the country, it is also a municipality, forming part of the Kabul Province; it is administratively divided into 22 municipal districts. Acco ...

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

, until 2007, and in 2010 he was appointed as political officer and deputy chief of mission at the Bulgarian embassy in

Washington, DC ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan ...

. From 2014 until 2016 Panayotov worked as the head of NATO's foreign affairs department. Since September 2016 he has been the permanent representative of Bulgaria to the

.New Permanent Representative of Bulgaria Presents Credentials
UN press office. Published 9 September 2016. Retrieved 25 March 2017. Currently he has been assigned by the President of

Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedon ...

as the acting defence minister of

. He was appointed ambassador to the United States in 2022. Along with his native

, is fluent in

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

, Russian,

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

, and

Albanian Albanian may refer to: *Pertaining to Albania in Southeast Europe; in particular: **Albanians, an ethnic group native to the Balkans **Albanian language **Albanian culture **Demographics of Albania, includes other ethnic groups within the country ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Panayotov, Georgi Velikov 1968 births 21st-century Bulgarian politicians Bulgarian diplomats Living people Moscow State Institute of International Relations alumni NATO officials Permanent Representatives of Bulgaria to the United Nations