Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic is the current President of Croatia, in office since 19 February 2015.
The first woman to be elected as the president of the republic,
Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic also became the youngest president in Croatian history when she assumed
office at the age of 46.
Prior to becoming the president she served as Assistant Secretary General for Public
Diplomacy at NATO under, secretaries Anders Fogh Rasmussen and Jens Stoltenberg.
Born in a small village in Croatia, she grew up to be a bright and ambitious girl.
She excelled in her studies and attended the Diploma Course at the Diplomatic Academy of
Vienna before earning her master's degree in international relations
from the Faculty of Political Science at the University of Zagreb.
Having already embarked on a diplomatic career, she was elected to the
Croatian Parliament and later on became the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Over the ensuing years she steadily rose through the political ranks
and held various prestigious governmental positions.
With the support of President Stjepan Mesic, she became the Croatian Ambassador to the
United States by replacing Neven Mimica, in 2008.
After becoming the Assistant Secretary General for Public Diplomacy at NATO,
Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic set her ambitions even higher and successfully ran for presidency
Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic was born on 29 April 1968 in Rijeka, SR Croatia, SFR Yugoslavia
(now Croatia), to Dubravka and Branko Grabar.
Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic family owned a butcher shop and a ranch.
Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic was a bright student and was selected for a student exchange program
when she was 17.
She moved to Los Alamos, New Mexico, subsequently graduating from Los Alamos High School in
1986.
After high school she enrolled at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University
of Zagreb from where she graduated in 1992 with a Bachelor of Arts in English and
Spanish languages and literature.
Grabar-Kitarovic became an advisor to the international cooperation department of the
Ministry of Science and Technology in 1992 and she joined
the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) the following year.
In 1995, she became the head of the North American department of the foreign ministry,
a post she held until 1997.
During this time she also attended the Diploma Course at the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna
from 1995 to 1996.
In 1997, she was appointed a diplomatic councilor at the Croatian embassy in Canada, and became
a minister-councilor, in October 1998.
The Social Democratic Party of Croatia (SDP) came to power after the 2000 elections and
the new Minister of Foreign Affairs, Tonino Picula, began to remove all members
of HDZ from high positions in diplomacy.
Grabar-Kitarovic was ordered to return to Croatia from Canada.
Pregnant at that time, she initially refused but had to return due to the
mounting pressure from the Ministry.
Shortly after giving birth she applied for Fulbright scholarship for studying international
relations and security policy.
After acquiring the scholarship, she moved to the U.S.A. and studied at the George Washington
University during 2002-03.
Following graduation she returned to Croatia.
In the 2003 elections, she was elected to the Croatian Parliament from the seventh electoral
district, as a member of the Croatian Democratic Union.
Under the administration of new Prime Minister Ivo Sanader, Grabar-Kitarovic became Minister
of European Integration.
In 2004-05, she served as the Chairperson of the Interim Committee, established under
the Interim Agreement on Trade and Trade-related matters,
between the European Community and the Republic of Croatia.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of European Integration were merged in 2005
following which she was selected to be the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
In this position she played a significant role in guiding Croatia into the European
Union and NATO.
From 2005 to 2008, she also served as the Head of the Croatian Delegation to the Stabilization
and Association Council for the Implementation of the
Stabilization and Association Agreement between the Republic of Croatia and the European Communities.
In 2008, she solicited President Stjepan Mesic's help to become Croatian Ambassador to the
United States, a position she held until July 2011.
Then she joined as the Assistant Secretary General for Public Diplomacy at NATO and served
till October 2014.
In mid-2014 it was announced that Grabar-Kitarovic will be the HDZ party's official presidential
candidate.
She faced incumbent Ivo Josipovic and newcomers Ivan Vilibor Sincic and Milan Kujundžic in
the elections and emerged successful to become Croatia's first female president-elect.
She was sworn into office on 15 February and assumed office officially on 19 February 2015.
Major Works Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic is best known for
becoming the first female president of Croatia.
A highly ambitious lady, she has several years of experience as a politician
and diplomat, having served as Assistant Secretary General for Public Diplomacy at NATO from
2011 to 2014.
She is also the first woman ever to be appointed to that position
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