Former Palestinian minister Ahmed Majalani was quoted as saying that Mladenov “knows us and knows the Israelis very well, which is a big advantage.” In 2021, Mladenov received an award from Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas for his contribution to Middle East peace.
Bulgarian diplomat and former Foreign Minister Nikolay Mladenov will lead the interim administration in the Gaza Strip, the White House confirmed on Friday. According to the announcement, Mladenov will retain the post of high representative for Gaza. The news comes three months after a ceasefire agreement in Gaza was reached between Israel and Hamas, the group that governs Gaza and is considered a terrorist group by the United States and the European Union. The agreement was reached with the mediation of the United States and was the first step in US President Donald Trump’s plan to end the war in Gaza. The appointment of a transitional administration in the enclave is part of that plan.
In his role as high representative for Gaza, Nikolay Mladenov “will act as a liaison on the ground” between the Peace Board, a structure the US is creating to temporarily exercise control over the governance of Gaza, and the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, which will function as an interim government, under the supervision of the Peace Board, the White House said in a statement.
He “will support the Board’s oversight of all aspects of governance, reconstruction and development of Gaza,” the statement said. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with him earlier in January and said he would lead the transitional authority in Gaza. Mladenov previously served as Bulgaria’s defense minister and foreign minister, was a member of parliament and a member of the European Parliament. He has also held senior positions at the United Nations and has experience mediating between Israel and Hamas.
MPs, MEPs, MINISTERS…
Nikolay Mladenov was born on May 5, 1972 in Sofia. He graduated in International Relations from the University of National and World Economy in Sofia and holds a Master’s degree in Military Sciences from King’s College London. He began his political career in the Union of Democratic Forces (SDS), where he also served as the party’s spokesperson. In 2001, he was elected a deputy to the 39th Bulgarian Parliament from the ODS. After the end of his mandate in 2005, he worked as a consultant for the World Bank and other international organizations in Southeast Europe and the Middle East, according to his official biography.
Before being appointed Foreign Minister, Mladenov was a member of the European Parliament. He was elected in 2007 from the GERB party list and was among the first Bulgarian MEPs after Bulgaria’s accession to the European Union.
In 2009, he joined the first government of Boyko Borisov as Minister of Defense. A year later, in 2010, he was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs, replacing Rumyana Zheleva after her resignation, and held this post until the end of the GERB government’s mandate in 2013. He held this post during the Arab Spring, a wave of protests and uprisings in Arab countries that began in 2010 – some of which escalated into civil wars. In 2012, Mladenov organized a meeting of the Syrian opposition in Bulgaria, which was attended by various groups opposing the then regime of Bashar al-Assad.
ACTIVITY IN THE MIDDLE EAST
In 2013, then-UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon appointed Nikolay Mladenov as the UN Special Representative for Iraq. The appointment came at a time when security in the country was seriously threatened by clashes between the government and armed groups. In 2015, Mladenov was appointed UN Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process – a post he held until 2020.
He has mediated between Israel and Hamas during a tense period and has supported the idea of resolving the conflict through negotiations, the Associated Press (AP) wrote in a report in early January. The agency cited diplomats who said his work has earned the trust of both Israeli and Palestinian representatives. According to retired Israeli diplomat Alon Bar, Mladenov managed to “establish a relationship of trust with the political level in Israel, including Prime Minister Netanyahu.” At the same time, “he has also earned great trust from the Palestinian side,” he told the AP.
Former Palestinian minister Ahmed Majalani was quoted as saying that Mladenov “knows us and knows the Israelis very well, which is a big advantage.” In 2021, Mladenov received an award from Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas for his contribution to peace in the Middle East. In 2020, Mladenov was nominated by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres as the UN representative to Libya, and his appointment was approved by the Security Council. However, he withdrew his candidacy, citing personal reasons.
“PANDORA” FILES
Nikolay Mladenov is one of two Bulgarians whose names were included in the international journalistic investigation “Pandora Files” in 2021. At that time, the BIRD website reported that Mladenov had registered an “offshore” company, or overseas, which had no activity, but he did not declare it. According to the media, the company “Afron Enterprises Ltd.” was established on August 9, 2013, while a few days earlier – on August 2, 2013 – he was appointed UN representative in Iraq.
Mladenov confirmed the existence of the company, but said it did not work because his business plans changed after registration and he started working at the UN. He could not recall the exact procedures and dates of registration during the interview with BIRD. According to the AP, Mladenov currently lives in the United Arab Emirates, where he works as the director general of the Anwar Gargash Diplomatic Academy. He is married and has three children.
HOW WILL GAZA BE GOVERNED?
Trump’s 20-point plan to end the war in Gaza calls for the enclave to be administered by an interim government, called the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza. This committee will be overseen by the Board for Peace, whose composition was announced by the White House on Friday. According to the announcement, Trump will be the chairman of the Board, while its members also include: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, special envoy Steve Witkoff, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, billionaire and CEO of the investment fund Apollo Global Management, Marc Rowan, World Bank President Ajay Banga, and Trump adviser Robert Gabriel.
The US plan also calls for the disarmament of Hamas and the deployment of international forces in Gaza. Maj. Gen. Jasper Jeffers, a former US special operations commander, has been appointed as their commander, the White House announced.
The plan has received broad support at the UN, where a resolution was passed authorizing international stabilization forces to provide security in Gaza, endorsing a transitional administration under Trump and envisioning a future possibility for an independent Palestinian state. The US plan took effect in October, following a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, who have been fighting for more than two years. The war began after Hamas attacked Israel in 2023, killing more than 1,200 people and taking hundreds of hostages. In response, Israel began bombing Gaza and then imposed a total blockade of the enclave, causing mass starvation.
According to data from the Ministry of Health in Gaza, which is run by Hamas, the number of victims has exceeded 70.