OSCE Presence in Albania

ROBERT WILTON

Deputy Head of Presence

Robert Wilton, a British secondee, joined the OSCE Presence in May 2013. He was Advisor to the Prime Minister of Kosovo from 2006 to 2008, and from 2010 to 2012 the Head of Policy for the international mission supervising Kosovo’s implementation of its independence package. He has held a variety of posts in different departments of the British Government, including a period as Private Secretary to the Secretary of State for Defence. He is co-founder of The Ideas Partnership, a volunteer-based non-governmental organization stimulating and supporting projects in minority inclusion, education, the environment and cultural heritage. He has published analytical writing on south-eastern Europe and the history of international intervention in the region. He is also the author of a series of historical novels, and occasionally a translator of Albanian poetry.

JULIE RASCHKA

Chief Political, Public Affairs and Reporting Officer

Julie Raschka, a United States secondee, joined the OSCE Presence in June 2012. She came to Albania from the U.S. Mission to the OSCE in Vienna, Austria, where she served as a political specialist focusing primarily on the Caucasus region and issues related to conflict prevention and resolution. Prior to that, she worked for the Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty Organization on budget and finance issues. She holds a Master’s Degree in International History and Politics from the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva, Switzerland. 

CLAUDIA VOLLMER

Head of the Democratization Department

Claudia Vollmer, a German secondee, joined the OSCE Presence in January 2013. After an assignment with the OSCE Mission in Kosovo from 2001 to 2004, she worked as a consultant in the fields of elections and governance, mainly for OSCE/ODIHR election observation missions. In addition, she has experience in project management. She holds master’s degrees in Political Science and Public Administration from German universities.   

FIORENTINA AZIZI

Head of the Rule of Law and Human Rights Department

Fiorentina Azizi, an Austrian secondee, joined the Presence in April 2011. She came to Albania from the OSCE Office in Baku, Azerbaijan, where she held the position of judicial training officer. Her working experience prior to joining the OSCE include the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia in The Hague, the Austrian Parliament, the Council of Europe’s European Commission of Human Rights, the Argentine Ministry of Justice and the University of Cambridge. Azizi holds a Master's Degree in human rights law from the University of Cambridge and the title “Magistra Iuris” from the University of Vienna. She has published and delivered several publications, lectures and training in the field of protection of international human rights law. 

MANOELA LUSSI

Acting Head of the Governance in Economic and Environmental Issues Department

Manoela Lussi, an Italian secondee, joined the OSCE Presence in September 2012. Prior to joining the OSCE, she worked with the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs at the Italian Cooperation Development Directorate and held several positions in the Balkans area, Africa, North Africa and Lebanon. She also had previous experience with ODHIR in Kosovo and with the World Bank. She holds a master’s degree in Analysis and Management of Development Projects from Milan University, and she is completing a doctorate in Trans-border Policies at the International University Institute for European Studies. She also attended various specialization courses in Italy and at the Université libre de Bruxelles. 

GUY VINET

Head of Security Co-operation Department

Guy Vinet, a French secondee, joined the Presence in August 2011. A former colonel in the French Gendarmerie, he has extensively worked in South Eastern Europe for the United Nations, NATO and the European Union. His last position was in the French Ministry of Interior, where he was in charge of international co-operation and conducted various missions in Africa. Vinet holds a PhD in Political Science and a Master's Degree in International Relations and Geopolitics from the Paris Sorbonne University. 

MONTSERRAT BATLLÓ

Project Office Co-ordinator

Montserrat Batlló, a Spanish secondee, joined the Presence in Albania in June 2009. Prior to joining the OSCE, she held positions in China, DRC, Rwanda, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Angola with Médecins Sans Frontières, an international NGO providing medical humanitarian assistance. In Spain, she was appointed Director of the Logistics Department and Desk Manager for African missions. 

MICHAEL JOHNSON

Chief, Fund Administration

Michael Johnson joined the OSCE Presence in 2010. Prior to joining the OSCE, he held several positions within the Eurasia Foundation, a privately managed foundation, in Washington DC, Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan. He was also a Peace Corps volunteer in Ukraine. He holds an MBA from the Georgetown McDonough School of Business.