Jan Kohout

Jan Kohout
Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic
In office
10 July 2013 – 29 January 2014
Prime MinisterJiří Rusnok
Preceded byKarel Schwarzenberg
Succeeded byLubomír Zaorálek
In office
8 May 2009 – 13 July 2010
Prime MinisterJan Fischer
Preceded byKarel Schwarzenberg
Succeeded byKarel Schwarzenberg
Permanent Representative of the Czech Republic to the European Union
In office
19 May 2004 – 2 January 2008
Preceded byPavel Telička
Succeeded byMilena Vicenová
Personal details
Born (1961-03-29) 29 March 1961 (age 63)
Plzeň, Czechoslovakia
Political partyKSČ (1986–1989)
Social Democratic Party (1995–2009)
Children2
Alma materCharles University

Jan Kohout (born 29 March 1961) is a Czech diplomat and politician. He was Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic in caretaker governments of Jan Fischer and Jiří Rusnok.[1] Between 1986–1989 he had been a member of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia; since 1995 is a member of the Social Democratic Party but before accepting the office of Foreign Minister he suspended party membership.

After the Velvet revolution, he entered the Czechoslovak and later Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He served as Ambassador to the EU in Brussels as well as Deputy Foreign Minister. After Prime Minister Vladimír Špidla resigned in 2004, Kohout was offered the post but refused; Stanislav Gross took over as Premier.

Kohout is a graduate of the Faculty of Arts of the Charles University in Prague. He is divorced and has two children.

  1. ^ "PhDr. Jan Kohout" (in Czech). Government of the Czech Republic. Retrieved 21 May 2010.