Miroslav M. Zafirov is a nonresident senior fellow with the Scowcroft Middle East Security Initiative at the Atlantic Council’s Middle East Programs. He is a senior diplomatic and policy professional with more than twenty years of experience in Middle Eastern affairs, conflict resolution, and international negotiations.
Zafirov has held senior advisory roles across multilateral and regional institutions, including as advisor to the director general at the Anwar Gargash Diplomatic Academy. He also served as senior political advisor and liaison officer at the United Nations Special Coordinator’s Office for the Middle East Peace Process. Additionally, he served as a political affairs officer with United Nations missions in Iraq.
In Bulgaria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he served as head of the political section in Kuwait and as chargé d’affaires and head of mission in Doha, Qatar, where he led high-level political engagement and worked to advance bilateral relations.
Zafirov has also has advised think tanks and private sector entities, including the Centre for the Study of Democracy, on Iraq and regional policy issues.
Zafirov has lectured on contemporary Middle East diplomacy at New Bulgarian University and delivered guest lectures at institutions including the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom, Tufts University, New York University Abu Dhabi, and King’s College London. He holds degrees from Saint Petersburg State University and New Bulgarian University. He is fluent in English, Arabic, and Russian, with proficiency in Persian and working knowledge of French and Hebrew.