Jozef Šesták

Jozef Šesták
Consul General of the Slovak Republic in Istanbul with the diplomatic rank of Ambassador
In office December 2009 – Incumbent
Senior State Counselor, Ambassador at Large
In office 1999–2009
Chief negotiator for the accession of the Slovak Republic into the European Union
In office 1997–1998
State Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Slovak Republic
In office 1994–1998
Personal details
Born	(1945-11-09)November 9, 1945 Michalovce, Czechoslovakia
Spouse	PhDr. Anna Šestáková
Alma mater	University of Economics in Bratislava

Ing. Jozef Šesták PhD. (born 9 November 1945 in Michalovce) is a Slovak diplomat and since December 2009 the Consul General of the Slovak Republic in Istanbul with the diplomatic rank of Ambassador.

Curriculum vitae

He spent part of his youth in Košice. He graduated from the University of Economics in Bratislava and after his post graduate studies he obtained the scientific degree Candidate of Sciences(CSc.). He was a funding member of the student organization AIESEC in Slovakia, first Vice President of AIESEC Czechoslovakia and first President of AIESEC at the University of Economics in Bratislava (1965-1967). He was the first Vice President of the Association of university students in Slovakia (ZVS 1968-1969), which organized memorial student manifestations in Bradlo and Devín (1968).

Professional career

In Czechoslovakia

He started working at the Ministry of Trade of the Slovak Republic and at the Federal Ministry of Foreign Trade in Prague. In the years 1974-1979 he became the Deputy of the Commercial attaché at the Embassy of the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic (ČSSR) in Washington D.C. (United States). Later he worked at the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs of ČSSR in Prague. Gradually he had reached the position of Ambassador Counselor at the Permanent mission of ČSSR to international organizations in Vienna, the Deputy head of delegation of ČSSR during the negotiations on decreasing the armed forces and armament in Central Europe (1983-1988), afterwards he acted as expert of the Czechoslovak delegation for negotiations on withdrawal of Soviet troops from the territory of ČSSR (1990). He held the function of the Head of delegation with the diplomatic rank Ambassador and the function of Ambassador at international negotiations about the regime Open skies in Canada and in Hungary (1990).

In Slovakia

After the establishment of the Government of the Slovak Republic he acted as external counselor of the first Deputy Prime Minister for foreign policy and international economics questions (1990-1991). From 1994 to 1998 he held the function of the State Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Slovak Republic. State Secretary Jozef Šesták is the author of the Economic Dimension of Diplomacy - EDD, which he introduced in 1995 - a new orientation of diplomacy towards economy and trade. He was leader of the negotiation team of the Slovak Republic, which negotiated the Treaty on Good Neighbor Relations and Friendly Cooperation between the Slovak Republic and the Republic of Hungary (19 March 1995). He worked as Deputy Chairman of the Government Council for the Promotion of Export, as member of the Government Council for the integration of the Slovak Republic into the European Union and a member of the Government Council for the accession of the Slovak Republic to OECD. He worked as the Head of the negotiation team of the Government of the Slovak Republic in the negotiations with the Republic of Hungary about possible off-court settlement of the dispute regarding the Gabčíkovo – Nagymaros Waterworks (1996-1997), just like during the accession talks of Slovak Republic to the OECD, EU and NATO (1995-1998). In the position of the State Secretary of the MFA SR personally contributed to raising Holocaust Memorial in Bratislava (Rybné square, 1995), which was highly appreciated by Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Israel Dr. Shimon Peres in May 2002. He was the chief negotiator for the accession of the Slovak Republic into the European Union (1997-1998). In 1998 he became the Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of the Slovak Republic in the Republic of Austria, later Ambassador, Senior State Counselor (2002-2009). He is the author of a peace project for crisis solution in the Middle East, which he presented to the experts (of the Council of Europe) for Middle East (2005) and to the Austrian presidency in the EU in Istanbul (2006). His wife PhDr. Anna Šestáková, born Chrobáková, originally from Hybe, niece of the writer Dobroslav Chrobák, is an expert for diplomatic protocol. The couple has two daughters.

Since December 2009 Jozef Šesták has been posted as Consul General of the Slovak Republic in Istanbul.

On 9 February 2016 the Scientific Council of Slovak Academy of Sciences awarded Ambassador Jozef Sestak, PhD. the Medal of the Slovak Academy of Sciences for the support of science for professional support of the development of scientific projects, innovations and High Tech companies in international relations between Slovakia and foreign countries.

Honorary Posts

• 2014 - 2016: Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Istanbul Consular Corps – ICC (the largest consular corps in the world)
• 2004: Presidential candidate in the elections of the President of the Slovak Republic
• 2000 - 2002: Honorary Member of the Academic Board of the Faculty of Trade of the University of Economics in Bratislava, Slovakia
• 1997 - 2000: Member of the Academic Board of the Faculty of Trade of the University of Economics in Bratislava, Slovakia
• 1965 - 1967: Founding member of AIESEC Slovakia, first LC President of AIESEC Bratislava and first Vice-President of AIESEC Czechoslovakia