Who is Who: Bulgaria's Caretaker PM Marin Raykov

Bulgaria's caretaker Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Marin Raykov (right) is pictured in this file photo with former French President Jacques Chirac. Photo by trud.bg

Marin Raykov was born on December 17, 1960, in Washington, DC, USA. He is the son of Bulgarian diplomat Rayko Nikolov.

Raykov studied in high schools in Paris, Sofia, and Belgrade. In 1984, he earned a degree in international relations from University for National and World Economy in Sofia (then known as the Karl Marx Institute).

In 1987, Raykov joined Bulgaria's diplomatic corps. In 1987-1992, he worked at the Balkan countries department of the Foreign Ministry in Sofia. In 1992-1995, he was a member of the staff of the Bulgarian Embassy in Belgrade.

In 1995-1997, Raykov worked as a political and social issues expert at the Council of Europe in the Human Rights and Humanitarian and Social Cooperation sector. In 1997-1998, he was Bulgaria's Deputy Representative at the Council of Europe.

In 1998-2001, Raykov was Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs in the government of the Union of Democratic Forces, of Prime Minister Ivan Kostov.

In 2001-2005, he was Bulgaria's Ambassador to France, and Permanent Representative at UNESCO.

In 2005-2008, Raykov was head of departments "European Foreign Policy", and "Strategic Issues" at the Foreign Ministry in Sofia.

In July 2009, he became Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs in the government of the GERB party and Prime Minister Boyko Borisov.

Prior to his appointment as prime minister in Bulgaria's caretaker government in March 2013 Marin Raykov served as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Bulgaria to the French Republic as of 2010.

Marin Raykov is a former professor of Diplomatic Practice at the New Bulgarian University and he is a member of the Union of Bulgarian Journalists, as well as the Bulgarian Association of International Law.

Fluent in French, English and Russian.

Married with two children.

Marin Raykov's father, Rayko Nikolov was himself a career diplomat. In 1996, the French Express Weekly published information according to which in 1953 Rayko Nikolov in his capacity of an intelligence officer recruited the then emerging French politician Charles Hernuas as a spy for the secret services of the former Soviet Bloc.

In 1981-1985, Hernu served as Defense Minister of France in the Socialist government of Francois Mitterrand. A former head of the French counterintelligence later confirmed that in 1992 the Bulgarian intelligence services notified their French colleagues about the spying past of Charles Herny.

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