Zoran Jolevski

Jolevski is married to Suzana Jolevska, with whom he has two children, Pero (1988) and Filip (1992). Both sons work in the field of economics.

Zoran Jolevski was born in Skopje, Macedonia on July 16, 1959. He received a Bachelor's in Economics and a Master's in Science of Law from Saints Cyril and Methodius University. He continued his education in The Netherlands, attending Erasmus University Rotterdam. He received his postgraduate degree there, and also holds a Ph.D. in International Economy from Cyril and Methodius.

Before his diplomatic career, he worked opened a travel agency and freelance tour director.

In 1988, Jolevski joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He began his career as the Desk Officer for Germany and the United Kingdom. He then became Secretary for the Macedonian delegation to the International Conference on Succession of the Former Yugoslavia.

In 1994, he was appointed First Secretary to the Permanent Mission of Macedonia to the United Nations and the World Trade Organization. He also acted as Vice-Chairmain for a committee on Regional and Multilateral Investment Treaties during a United Nations conference on trade and development. He remained in Geneva for four years.

From 1998-1999, he worked as the secretary for WTO accession. During the Kosovo War, he became the Deputy National Coordinator on Humanitarian Issues for the Kosovo refugees.

Jolevski served as Secretary General to the President of Macedonia from 1999-2004. He was responsible for the reestablishment of diplomatic relations between Macedonia and The People’s Republic of China - served as a member of the negotiation team that brought peace to the Balkans with the Ohrid Framework Agreement, and represented President Trajkovski at the session of the Assembly of the Republic of Macedonia which made the necessary constitutional changes.

After the death of President Trajkovski in 2004, Jolevski refused an ambassador position to become a professor at the European University – Republic of Macedonia. He remained a government consultant and began working as Chief of Party for the WTO Compliance Activity and the Macedonian Business Environment Activity.

One of Jolevski’s main achievements is considered to be his work in the Macedonian Naming Dispute with Greece. In 2008, he was asked by Prime Minister Gruevski to take over after President Crvenkovski withdrew Nikola Dimitrov from negotiations. In 2009, he attended the naming talks with Greece, where his words are credited with Greece’s openness to accept the proposal for the international use of "Republic of Northern Macedonia”.