Head of Mission

head of mission

Mrs. Svetlana Stoycheva-Etropolski is a career diplomat.

From June 5 to October 2, 2023 she was Director of the Bilateral European Cooperation Directorate in the Ministry of Foreign affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria. Since August 2022 until June 5, 2023, in two consecutive governments, she was the Head of Cabinet of the Minister of the Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria.

In the period 2018 – 2022 she served as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Bulgaria to Canada. From 2014 to 2018 Svetlana Stoycheva-Etropolski was posted to Ottawa, Canada, as Head of the Political Section at the Embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria, Deputy Head of Mission and Charge d’affaires a.i. (2017 to 2018). From 2007 to 2011 she served in New York, where she headed the Consular office at the Bulgarian Consulate General. From 2009 to 2010 she was Charge d’affaires a.i. at the Bulgarian Consulate General in New York. From 2011 to 2014 she served as the U.S. Desk Officer at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. There she worked on the entire spectrum of issues on both the bilateral agenda and the transatlantic cooperation. From 2003 to 2006 Svetlana Stoycheva-Etropolski was Head of Department and Civil Society Programme Senior Manager in the Communication Strategy Directorate, responsible for the development of strategic and programming papers related to the Bulgaria’s accession to the EU. Another headquarters assignment included the Information and Public Relations Directorate (2006-2007).

She has been awarded a silver badge of honor by the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Before joining the Ministry, Svetlana Stoycheva-Etropolski has held various consulting positions under European Union Pre-accession assistance projects, USAID and UNESCO, and the United Nations Development Programme.

Svetlana Stoycheva-Etropolski holds a Master’s degree in Economics from the University of National and World Economy of Sofia. She has completed an array of specialized trainings – at Bath College in the United Kingdom, the Diplomatic academy of the Ministry of foreign affairs of the Republic of Croatia and the Ministry of foreign affairs of Denmark; the Netherlands Institute of International Relations Clingendael in Rotterdam; the European Institute of Public Administration in Barcelona and in Maastricht; the European External Action Service in Brussels; the Bulgarian Diplomatic Institute.

She is married.