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HE Tihomir Stoytchev

Ambassador of Bulgaria

TIHOMIR STOYTCHEV
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Bulgaria to the United States of America

Term of Appointment: 06/27/2016 to present

Ambassador Tihomir Stoytchev is a career diplomat. On June 27, 2016, he presented his Letters of Credence to President Barack Obama, accrediting him as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Bulgaria to the United States of America.

Ambassador Stoytchev was most recently Foreign Policy Secretary to the President of the Republic of Bulgaria (2012 – 2016). From 2008 to 2011, Mr. Stoytchev served as Deputy Chief of Mission at the Embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria in Washington, D.C., where from November 2009 to August 2010 he served as Chargé d’Affaires, a.i.

From 2003 to 2007, he was Counsellor on Political and Economic Affairs at the Embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria in Washington, D.C. During this period, Bulgaria became a member of NATO and the European Union (EU).

From 1996 to 2000, he served as Third Secretary at the Bulgarian Mission to the European Union in Brussels, Belgium, during which Bulgaria commenced preparation for membership and started accession negotiations. At the same time he was also responsible for forging ties with the European Parliament and the Bulgaria-EU Joint Parliamentary Committee.

At the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Sofia, he was employed by the EU Directorate as Head of the Department for EU External Relations, Budget and Financial Instruments, International Economics, and Financial Organizations (2007-2008); European Integration Directorate, as Secretary of Sub-Committee II “EU Internal Market” (2000-2003); and European Integration Directorate, as State Expert on Political dialogue and cooperation with the EU in the area of Common Foreign and Security Policy and Justice and Home Affairs (1994-1996). He was also responsible for the relations between Bulgaria and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

Mr. Stoytchev earned his B.A. and M.A. degrees at the University of Sofia, St. Kliment Ohridski, in Philosophy and History.

He completed specialization programs at: United Nations Institute for Training and Research, New York, USA (2005, Program on International Trade Policy and the Doha Round of negotiations); Institute of Public Administration, Dublin, Ireland (2002, Program on Negotiation skills and Structural Funds of the EU); National Assembly, Paris, France (1996, Program on Institutions of French Democracy); Center for European Studies, Thessaloniki, Greece (1995, Program for Leaders from Central and Eastern Europe); and the European Commission, Brussels, Belgium (1994, Program on EU Institutions and Decision-making Mechanism).

Decorations:

Commander’s Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland (2015); Commemorative Medal on the occasion of 100 Years of Bulgarian-US Diplomatic Relations (2003).

January 24, 2017 at the The Hay-Adams Hotel