Igor Pokaz (born 23 May 1968) is a Croatian diplomat that has served as ambassador to NATO and Russia. He is serving as Croatia's ambassador to the United Kingdom since September 1, 2017.

Education

Pokaz has a Bachelor of Economics degree from the University of Zagreb and received his Master's degree in International Relations from the Global Master of Arts Program at The Fletcher School,

Tufts University Tufts University is a private research university on the border of Medford and Somerville, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1852 as Tufts College by Christian universalists who sought to provide a nonsectarian institution of higher learning. ...

. He also attended

Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

's Foreign Service Programme from 1998 to 1999.

Career

Igor Pokaz started working in the

Ministry of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the government department responsible for the state's diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral relations affairs as well as for providing support for a country's citizens who are abroad. The entit ...

in 1994. His first posting abroad was to the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Croatia to the United Nations from 1999 to 2003, in the capacity of diplomatic counsellor. From 2003 to 2007, Pokaz served in the

Ministry of Defence {{unsourced, date=February 2021 A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in states ...

, as the Head of Department for International Defense Cooperation and followingly as Under Secretary for Defense Policy. He briefly worked in the private sector, as Head of the Office of CEO Emil Tedeschi at Atlantic Grupa from 2007 to 2008. Pokaz returned to the public sector at the calling of then Prime Minister Ivo Sanader and President Stjepan Mesić, as he was appointed Permanent Representative to

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

. The rationale behind the appointment was the key role Pokaz played in Croatia's accession to NATO, as well as his expertise on defense policy gained during his service at the Ministry of Defence. Pokaz went on to serve as Croatia's ambassador to the

Russian Federation Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

from 2012 to 2015, and is currently serving as the Ambassador of the Republic of Croatia to the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

- a position he was posted to in 2017.

Personal life

Igor Pokaz is the son of retired Croatian general Ivan Pokaz. He is married and has one child. Pokaz served in the Croatian Armed Forces during the

Croatian War of Independence The Croatian War of Independence was fought from 1991 to 1995 between Croat forces loyal to the Government of Croatia—which had declared independence from the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY)—and the Serb-controlled Yugosl ...

from 1991 to 1995. In 1992, he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant in the Croatian Armed Forces

References

1968 births Living people Croatian diplomats Permanent Representatives of Croatia to NATO Ambassadors of Croatia to Russia Chevening Scholars {{croatia-diplomat-stub