{{short description|Bulgarian politician (born 1968)}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Ivan Kondov | native_name = {{Nobold|Иван Кондов}} | native_name_lang = bg | image = Ivan Kondov.jpg | office = Minister of Foreign Affairs | prime_minister = Dimitar Glavchev | term_start = 27 August 2024 | term_end = 16 January 2025 | predecessor = Dimitar Glavchev | successor = Georg Georgiev | prime_minister1 = Galab Donev | term_start1 = 3 May 2023 | term_end1 = 6 June 2023 | predecessor1 = Nikolay Milkov | successor1 = Mariya Gabriel | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1968|08|10|df=y}} | birth_place = PR Bulgaria | death_date = | death_place = | party = Independent | alma_mater = University of National and World Economy | caption = Official portrait, 2023 | occupation = {{hlist|Politician|diplomat}} }} '''Ivan Kondov''' ({{langx|bg|Иван Кондов}}) is a Bulgarian politician and diplomat who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs from August 2024 to January 2025 and briefly in 2023.<ref>{{cite news |title=Иван Кондов е новият служебен министър на външните работи - По света и у нас - БНТ Новини |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230301000000*/https://bntnews.bg/news/ivan-kondov-e-noviyat-sluzheben-ministar-na-vanshnite-raboti-1232051news.html |access-date=3 April 2025 |work=BNT |date=2 May 2023 |language=bg}}</ref> A political independent, he previously served as Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from 2021 to 2023 and Bulgarian Ambassador to Spain from 2017 to 2021.<ref name="amb">{{cite web |title=MFA :: Permanent Secretary |url=https://www.mfa.bg/en/ministry/structure/permanent-secretary |website=www.mfa.bg |access-date=3 April 2025 |language=en}}</ref>
== Early life == Kondov was born on 10 August 1968.<ref name="darik">{{cite news |title=Кой е Иван Кондов, номиниран за служебен министър на външните работи |url=https://dariknews.bg/novini/bylgariia/koj-e-ivan-kondov-nominiran-za-sluzheben-ministyr-na-vynshnite-raboti-2391590 |access-date=3 April 2025 |work=Darik News |date=26 August 2024 |language=bg}}</ref> In 1994 he graduated from the University of National and World Economy with a degree in international relations, later also acquiring courses in international relations at the Diplomatic School of Spain and the Center for Security Policy Studies.<ref>{{cite news |title=Възелът се разплита: Иван Кондов поема МВнР |url=https://lupa.bg/news/vazelat-se-razplita-ivan-kondov-poema-mvnr_310108news.html |access-date=3 April 2025 |work=Lupa |date=25 April 2024}}</ref> He started working in international relations in 1995, a year after graduating, as an expert in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.<ref>{{cite news |title=Атанас Илков, Иван Кондов, Красимира Стоянова. Кои са новите министри на Главчев |url=https://www.svobodnaevropa.bg/a/koi-sa-novite-sluzhebni-ministri/33092716.html |access-date=3 April 2025 |work=Свободна Европа |date=26 August 2024 |language=bg}}</ref> He then worked in political affairs at the Embassy of Bulgaria, London, and afterward worked as an expert and member of the delegation of Bulgaria to NATO from 2001 to 2007.<ref name="darik" />
== Career == Starting in 2017, he was the Bulgarian Ambassador to Spain.<ref name="amb" /> During his ambassadorship, he worked to represent Bulgaria in the country when it had the presidency of the Council of the European Union.<ref name="dip">{{cite news |title=Ivan Kondov ends his mission in Spain as ambassador of Bulgaria |url=https://thediplomatinspain.com/en/2021/01/04/ivan-kondov-ends-his-mission-in-spain-as-ambassador-of-bulgaria/ |access-date=3 April 2025 |work=The Diplomat |date=4 January 2021}}</ref> He left Madrid in mid-December and officially announced his departure in January 2021.<ref name="dip" />
== Views == Kondov has been a supporter of Ukraine during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, saying that NATO will be secure when Ukraine becomes a full member of the organization as it would strengthen NATO's eastern flank, specifically in the Black Sea.<ref>{{cite news |title=Ivan Kondov: NATO countries will be assured when Ukraine becomes a full member of the Alliance |url=https://new.bnr.bg/en/post/102050340/ivan-kondov-nato-countries-will-be-assured-when-ukraine-becomes-a-full-member-of-the-alliance |access-date=3 April 2025 |work=Radio Bulgaria |date=25 September 2024 |language=en}}</ref>
== Personal life == He speaks fluently in other languages like Spanish, English, French, and Italian, and sometimes uses Russian and Portuguese.<ref>{{cite news |title=Yes, I have received an invitation and I have accepted it: this is who will be the new foreign minister |url=https://fakti.bg/en/bulgaria/907315-da-poluchil-sam-pokana-i-sam-a-priel-eto-koi-shte-e-noviat-vanshen-ministar |access-date=3 April 2025 |work=Fakti |date=25 August 2024 |language=bg}}</ref>
== References == {{reflist}}
{{s-start}} {{s-off}} {{s-bef|before=Nikolay Milkov}} {{s-ttl|title=Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria|years=2023}} {{s-aft|after=Mariya Gabriel}} {{s-bef|before=Dimitar Glavchev}} {{s-ttl|title=Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria|years=2024–2025}} {{s-aft|after=Georg Georgiev}} {{s-end}}
{{Foreign ministers of Bulgaria}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kondov, Ivan}} Category:1968 births Category:Living people Category:Ministers of foreign affairs of Bulgaria Category:Independent politicians in Bulgaria