Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović

Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović (born April 29, 1968) is a Croatian diplomat who was the foreign minister of Croatia from 2005 to 2008.

Kolinda Grabar was born in Rijeka, Croatia. She lived in the United States for part of her childhood and graduated from Los Alamos High School in Los Alamos, New Mexico. She then attended the University of Zagreb graduating in 1992. Kolinda obtained a masters degree in international relations.

In 1992, Grabar-Kitarović became an advisor to the international cooperation department of the ministry of science and technology of Croatia. In 1993 she moved to the foreign ministry, becoming an advisor. In 1995 she became the head of the North American department of the foreign ministry, remaining in that position until 1997. In 1997 she began to work at the Croatian embassy in Canada, as a diplomatic councilor until October 1998 and then as a minister-councilor. She remained in Canada until 2000.

In 2001 Grabar-Kitarović became a minister-councilor to the ministry of foreign affairs. She left that position in 2003. In November 2003 she was elected to the Croatian Parliament from the seventh electoral district as a member of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ). In the government formed in December 2003, she became the minister of European integration, beginning negotiations in 2004 for Croatia to join the European Union. In February 2005 she was nominated to become the foreign minister of Croatia following the resignation of Miomir Žužul due to allegations of corruption. A protege of Miomir Žužul, Grabar-Kitarović has been critcized for participating in an administration tainted by rampant corruption.

She was confirmed by the parliament and sworn in to that position on February 17 2005. Her main task as foreign minister was to guide Croatia into the European Union.

She was replaced as foreign minister by Gordan Jandroković in January 2008, following the November 2007 parliamentary election.

Grabar-Kitarović is married to Jakov Kitarović. They have two children. She speaks English, Spanish and Portuguese fluently.