The High Representative Miroslav Lajčák has appointed Ivan Bušniak as the new Head of the Office of the High Representative in Banja Luka with effect from 1 September 2007.

Mr Bušniak  acted as Foreign Policy Advisor to the Chairman of the Czech Social Democratic Party. 

Between 2004 and 2006, he was a Foreign Policy Advisor to the Czech Prime Minister.

From 2000 to 2004, he was Director of Department for Eastern Europe and Director of Department for Africa in the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Between 1995 and 2000, Ivan Bušniak was based in Belgrade as Czech Ambassador to the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (later Serbia and Montenegro) and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

He previously served as Director of the Western Europe Department and Director General of the Euro-Atlantic Section at the Czech Foreign Ministry. 

Between 1990 and 1992, he directed the Minister's Private Cabinet and the OSCE Department in Czechoslovakian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Ivan Bušniak holds a law degree from the Moscow State Institute of International Relations. He also studied at the Harvard Center for International Affairs.

Ivan Bušniak is fluent in Bosnian-Croatian-Serbian, English, Russian and French. He is married with three children. He was born on 7 December 1951 in Bratislava, Slovakia.