Klaus Wolfer: Cultural Diplomacy and The Power of Diversity

Klaus Wölfer raised an important issue of the protection of diversity in the context of cultural diplomacy. He discussed the advantages and drawbacks of EU’s cultural diplomacy, and emphasised the diplomatic power or visual elements shared on social media.
Klaus Wölfer joined the Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1981. He served as a diplomat in the Austrian Embassies in Rome / Italy, Belgrade / Yugoslavia and Budapest / Hungary and headed the Austrian Cultural Institute in Rome between 1996 and 2002 and 2002. He was the Director General for the federal funding for the arts at the Prime Minister’s office from 2002 to 2006. He was ambassador to Indonesia, Singapore, Timor-Leste and ASEAN 2006-11 and ambassador to Turkey 2012-2017. After mid-2017 he was the head of Austrian MFA’s Southeast Europe unit in Vienna, Deputy Political Director, and Special Envoy for the Western Balkans. He retired from public office in May 2021 and has since been senior counsel for geopolitical and diplomatic questions, supporting various companies. He writes and lectures on foreign policy issues.