On July 25, the Atlantic Council’s Transatlantic Relations program held an off-the-record dinner discussion with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Slovak Republic Miroslav Lajčák. Atlantic Council Executive Vice President Damon Wilson moderated the discussion, which drew on Minister Lajčák’s extensive expertise on the Balkans, and examined the options for moving that region forward toward a more stable Euro-Atlantic future, especially given the persistent tensions in Bosnia and Kosovo, as well as in other countries. The dinner was graciously hosted by former US Ambassador to Slovakia Vincent Obsitnik.

Minister Lajčák has been at the center of European efforts to build democracy and stability throughout the Balkans. Between his current and former terms as Slovakia’s minister of foreign affairs, Minister Lajčák served as the European External Action Service’s managing director for Russia, the Eastern Neighborhood and the Western Balkans. Prior to that, he served as the EU’s special representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina and personal representative of the EU High Representative for CFSP to facilitate the referendum on the independence of Montenegro.