Hido Biščević took office as the first Secretary General of the Regional Cooperation Council on 1 January 2008, following the appointment by the South East European Cooperation Process (SEECP) Foreign Ministers in Zagreb on 10 May 2007. He was reappointed to the post on 22 June 2010 at the Istanbul meeting of the SEECP Foreign Ministers.

A Croatian diplomat, Mr Biščević previously served as the State Secretary for Political Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration of Croatia (2003-2007), Ambassador to the Russian Federation (1997-2002), Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs (1995-1997), Ambassador to the Republic of Turkey, accredited to the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Republic of Uzbekistan (1993-1995), Ambassador and Adviser to the Foreign Minister (1992), and Head of Department for Asian and Arab Countries (1992).

Before joining the diplomatic service, Mr Biščević was the Editor-in-Chief of the Vjesnik daily (1990-1992) and Foreign Affairs Editor at the same newspaper (1985-1989).

As the SEECP Coordinator during the Croatian Chairmanship-in-Office in 2006/2007, Mr Biščević actively participated in bilateral and multilateral forums in South Eastern Europe and intensively co-operated with the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe.

He took an active part in international conferences on the Bosnia and Herzegovina Peace Accord in 1994/95.

Mr Biščević served as foreign affairs correspondent, columnist, journalist and diplomat with assignments and wide experience in European affairs, South Eastern Europe issues and relations, Euro-Asian relations, international security and Euro-Atlantic co-operation. As a journalist, observer, envoy and diplomat, he participated in numerous international conferences and events.

Mr Biščević is author or co-author of several books, including, EU for YOU - Functioning of the EU (Croatian Edition 2006, with Wolfgang Böhm and Otmar Lahodynsky), Strategy of Chaos, on the start of dissolution of the former Yugoslavia (1988), In the Name of Allah, on the Iranian Islamic revolution (1982), Blood On the Water, on the Iraq-Iran war (1988), Time of Decision - A Palestinian Issue (1989), as well as of numerous articles and political essays on international security and co-operation.

Secretary General Biščević graduated in International Politics and Journalism at the Faculty of Political Science in Zagreb, Croatia. Apart from his mother tongue, he is fluent in English and Russian.

Mr Biščević was born on 18 September 1951, in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. He is married and has two daughters.