High Representative Christian Schmidt welcomed the new Head of OHR’s Regional Office in Banja Luka, Hungarian diplomat László Márkusz. “I am looking forward to working with Ambassador Márkusz, and I want to thank the Hungarian Government for their continued cooperation with the OHR,” said the High Representative.
Ambassador Márkusz started his diplomatic career as the Second Secretary for Political Affairs at the Hungarian Embassy in Sarajevo (1997-2002). As an employee of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary, he served on several positions related to the Western Balkans: desk officer for Croatia (2002-2003), Deputy Director for the Western Balkans (2009-2010), and Ambassador to Kosovo (2015-2020).
He also worked as a national expert for the Council of the European Union (2005-2008) and the EU Monitoring Mission in Georgia (2009) and gained experience serving in the Ministry of Defense of Hungary as the Deputy Head of Cabinet in 2003-2004.
Ambassador Márkusz holds a PhD in Eastern European History from the ELTE University in Budapest. He is the author and co-author of four books on the history and politics of the Western Balkans.