German diplomat, Herbert Salber, has been named as EU’s new Special Representative for South Caucasus.

Salber served as head of the OSCE’s Conflict Prevention Centre in 2006-2011.

In his capacity of EU’s Special Representative, Salber will also serve as a co-chair of the Geneva international discussions, launched after the August, 2008 war.

Ambassador Salber has replaced French diplomat Philippe Lefort on this post, which was vacant for more than four months.

Salber’s career in the German foreign service included postings in Belgrade, Vienna and Moscow; he then served as head of the OSCE Centre in Almaty, Kazakhstan, before becoming director of the OSCE's Conflict Prevention Centre in 2006.

EU foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton, who proposed the nomination said in a statement on June 12: “I am delighted to announce the appointment of Ambassador Salber to this important post. His long standing expertise and knowledge are significant assets for the EU and I look forward to working with him in his new role.”