Ambassador Rudolf Michalka

On 1 September 2018, the Italian OSCE Chairperson-in-Office appointed Ambassador Rudolf Michalka of the Slovak Republic as his Special Representative for the South Caucasus.

Ambassador Michalka, a graduate of the Central European University in Budapest, completed studies in political science and international relations at universities in Bratislava, Pittsburgh and the Vienna Diplomatic Academy.

Throughout his career in the Slovak civil service, Ambassador Michalka focused on South-Eastern Europe and the Caucasus, as well as on defense and security issues. He served in the Slovak Embassies to Cyprus and Turkey and from 2014 to 2018 he represented the Slovak Republic in Georgia in his capacity as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary.

Mandate

In collaboration with his counterparts from the United Nations and the European Union, Ambassador Rudolf Michalka, Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office for the South Caucasus, co-chairs the Geneva International Discussions, which currently take place four times a year and address the consequences of the 2008 war in Georgia. He also co-facilitates the meetings of the Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM) in Ergneti, together with the Head of the EU Monitoring Mission in Georgia (EUMM). The co-chairs travel to the region to prepare for each round of the Geneva International Discussions and meet for consultations with all participants. The Special Representative also assumes other responsibilities regarding the South Caucasus upon assignment of the Chairmanship.