A retired career diplomat from Hungary, Ambassador László Szőke is the Chef de Cabinet.
Prior to joining the OPGA, he served for ten years as Head of the Directorate for Foreign Affairs in the Office of the President of the Republic of Hungary. Previously, he was his country’s Ambassador to the Czech Republic (2008-2012) and, before that, to the Kingdom of Sweden (2000-2005).
Between 2005 and 2008, Dr. Szőke worked as State Secretary for European Relations and lnternational Organizations in Hungary’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. From 1998 to 2000, he was Head of the Cabinet of the Minister, and, before that, Head of the Department of Planning, Analysis and Information in the MFA.
Previously, he served at Hungary’s Embassies in Washington, D.C., and Baghdad, Iraq.
He graduated from the School of Diplomacy at the Moscow Institute of International Relations in 1981 and holds a doctor’s degree from the Budapest University of Economy (1984) as well as a post-graduate degree of Certified Interpreter and Translator from Loránd Eötvös University, Budapest (1985).
He is married to Judit Papp, a teacher. They have two daughters and a grandson.
Dr. Szőke speaks Hungarian, English and Russian, and has an advanced level of Arabic.
