Nickolay Mladenov: the Bulgarian leading the Board of Peace

As director-general of Donald Trump's Board of Peace and High Representative for Gaza, Bulgarian Nickolay Mladenov faces a massive challenge. Who is the man tasked with implementing the US-brokered peace plan for Gaza? PoliticsMiddle EastNickolay Mladenov: the Bulgarian leading the Board of PeaceMihail Ivanov02/25/2026February 25, 2026As director-general of Donald Trump's Board of Peace and High Representative for Gaza, Bulgarian Nickolay Mladenov faces a massive challenge. Who is the man tasked with implementing the US-brokered peace plan for Gaza?https://p.dw.com/p/59OpCNickolay Mladenov, Bulgarian High Representative for Gaza, speaks at the Board of Peace meeting during the World Economic Forum in Davos Image: Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty ImagesAdvertisementThroughout his career, Nickolay Mladenov has often found himself in the eye of the storm. A former Bulgarian foreign minister and United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process from 2015 to 2020, the Bulgarian diplomat earned the trust of both Israeli and Palestinian leaders by acting as an honest broker who was willing to be critical of all sides in periods of high tension. Now that Nickolay Mladenov has been designated director-general of President Trump's Board of Peace and High Representative for Gaza, that trust will likely be very valuable indeed.President Donald Trump (center) and other world leaders met in Washington last weekImage: Mark Schiefelbein/AP Photo/picture alliance The job ahead of him is massive: Mladenov is tasked with overseeing the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, implementing the US-brokered 20-point peace plan, rebuilding Gaza, disarming Hamas and supporting the transition to a Palestinian technocratic government in the enclave — all while balancing diverse geopolitical interests. In-depth knowledge of the Middle East Mladenov began his political career in Bulgaria as a lawmaker for the center-right UDF party. Later, this time running for the center-right GERB party, he became one of Bulgaria's first members of the European Parliament. He briefly served as Bulgaria's defense minister and subsequently as its foreign minister from 2010 to 2013. "Nickolay Mladenov was the first [Bulgarian] foreign minister to have such an in-depth knowledge of the Middle East. This was a great opportunity for Bulgaria, because shortly after, the war in Syria began, followed by the Arab Spring," said Vessela Cherneva, deputy director of the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECtHR), who served as part of Mladenov's bureau while he was foreign minister. Described by Cherneva as a talented communicator who "doesn't see diplomacy as a bargaining chip," Mladenov expanded Bulgaria's foreign policy and business engagement in the Middle East, strengthening ties with Tunisia, Egypt and Iraq, among others.Vessela Cherneva says that Mladenov is a talented communicator who 'doesn't see diplomacy as a bargaining chip'Image: BGNES In 2012, he faced one of his greatest challenges as foreign minister when a bus driver and five Israeli tourists were killed in a suicide bomb attack at Burgas Airport in southeastern Bulgaria. The terrorist attack — the deadliest in the country's recent history — was later attributed to Hezbollah. In the aftermath, Mladenov cooperated closely with Israeli officials. A trusted bridge-builder After his term as Bulgarian foreign minister ended, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon made Mladenov the UN's Special Representative for Iraq for two years. After that, Mladenov took on the role of UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process. In Jerusalem he quietly built trust with Israeli and Palestinian officials alike, as well as with representatives of Egypt, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Hamas, which is designated a terrorist group by the EU. In his time as UN envoy, Mladenov worked to de-escalate tension and keep the two-state solution alive. He also championed the US-brokered 2020 Abraham Accords, which brought a normalization of diplomatic relations between Israel and Bahrain, the UAE, Morocco and Sudan.Nickolay Mladenov was UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process from 2015 to 2020. He is pictured here making a speech in Gaza City in 2019Image: Ali Jadallah/Anadolu Agency/picture alliance While the Palestinians widely viewed the accords as a betrayal of their cause, Mladenov was convinced that the agreement would bring more stability to the region. As UN Special Coordinator, he was not afraid to voice criticism of either Israeli or Palestinian actors, condemning killings (including those of children), the expansion of settlements in the West Bank and rockets that hit civilian areas. "If you as the UN are not clear where you stand on these things, you can't be credible," Mladenov told The New York Times in 2021. A logical choice for the Board of Peace? According to Ruslan Trad, a journalist and expert in military conflicts and the Middle East, Mladenov's appointment as director-general of the Board of Peace and High Representative for Gaza was "logical" for those familiar with the regional dynamics. "Mladenov is the least controversial person for this mission," Trad told DW, adding th