Toivo Klaar becomes EU Special Representative for South Caucasus
By Mariam Chanishvili
Friday, November 17
The European Commission appointed Toivo Klaar as the EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus and the crisis in Georgia on November 13.
His task will focus on contribution to a peaceful settlement of conflicts in the region, namely, the crisis in Georgia and the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict as well as to encourage regional cooperation. The EU Special Representative co-chairs and participates on behalf of the EU in the Geneva International Discussions on the consequences of the 2008 conflict in Georgia.
The Geneva International Discussions (GID) are international talks that were launched in Geneva, Switzerland, in October 2008, to address the consequences of the 2008 conflict in Georgia. Co-chaired by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), the European Union (EU), and the United Nations (UN) the Geneva process brings together representatives of conflict participants.
Toivo Klaar is currently Head of the Central Asia Division at the European External Action Service (EEAS). Before joining the European Commission in 2005, he held various positions in the Estonian civil service, holding posts as a foreign policy advisor to the Estonian President in 1999-2001, director general for political affairs in the Estonian Foreign Ministry and advisor to the Minister of Defense. Klaar has been the Head of EU Monitoring Mission in Georgia in 2013-2014.
Klaar succeeds Ambassador Herbert Salber of German nationality, who had held the post since 8 July, 2014.
Klaar made a statement via Twitter on this occasion saying that he was honored to be “appointed to a challenging position.”
