Rossitza (Rosie) Petrov
- Regional Export Control and Related Border Security (EXBS) Advisor
- U.S. Department of State
Mrs. Petrov works at the U.S. Embassy in Belgrade as the Regional Advisor, Balkan and Baltic countries, for the Export Control and Related Border Security (EXBS) Program, managed by the Office of Export Cooperation (ECC), Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation (ISN), U.S. Department of State. Prior to her current assignment, Mrs. Petrov served as the Regional EXBS Advisor to Georgia and Armenia, and before that managed the EXBS Graduate Partners portfolio, which comprised twelve of the newest members of the European Union and involved developing close cooperation with the EU institutions. She also led ECC’s efforts to design and deploy automated systems and tools in support of licensing, enforcement, and compliance functions. In her advisory and program management role, Mrs. Petrov utilizes her vast expertise and network of U.S. and EU experts to introduce innovative and targeted programming to a broad spectrum of problem sets in the areas of legal-regulatory development, licensing, enforcement, and data analytics, and to foster cross-border, regional and international collaboration.
Mrs. Petrov’s international career spans over 25 years in both the private and public sectors, with a focus on strategic trade control, nonproliferation, sanctions implementation, border control, supply chain security, trade management and compliance systems, and institutional capacity building. During her 20 years with the EXBS program, Mrs. Petrov has held diverse responsibilities and roles, including strategic planning, program development and implementation, and training development and delivery. She has presented at international forums and conducted over 120 trainings for foreign industry, licensing and enforcement officials in countries spanning the globe. Mrs. Petrov holds Master’s Degree in International Commerce and Policy from George Mason University and completed the Oxford Trade Program “Global Trade in the Digital Era” at St. Peter’s College, Oxford University. Mrs. Petrov was the runner-up for the WorldECR Forum’s prestigious Export Control Practitioner of the Year Award for 2017. The WorldECR annual awards recognize outstanding achievement from professionals in the area of export controls and sanctions. In 2020, Mrs. Petrov received ISN’s Clare Boothe Luce Exemplary Diplomat Award, which is awarded to the ISN members who most exemplified outstanding diplomatic prowess to advance vital national security objectives in a complex situation.
Sessions
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Trends in Drugs, Trafficking, SOC and Terrorism – impact across continents
Drugs on the streets seems to be the insoluble societal problem of our age. It destroys lives and permeates every part of society. It makes law breakers of otherwise law-abiding citizens and through their dealers puts them in direct contact with the criminal underbelly of society.
Drugs are the invisible glue that connects organised crime with terrorists, with the city slicker that likes to ‘do a line’ and with the student on campus, just starting out on their life story. Along the way it corrupts officials and politicians, and sucks billions out of the economies of every country it touches. Terrorists gain an unlimited source of revenue and expertise in illicit transfer and laundering of proceeds from illicit transactions.
In this session we will look at any new trends in drug trafficking and look to share any new policy developments and measures that have been successful in countering this evil trade.