Draft:Arlette Zakarian

Arlette Zakarian is an Austrian-French lawyer and author specializing in international law. She is of Armenian descent, born in Iran, and raised in Austria. Additionally, she is the national spokesperson for NEOS X - International, a branch of NEOS – The New Austria and Liberal Forum, which addresses the concerns of Austrians abroad. She is also a member of the party's Extended Board. As an expert on Armenia, she frequently publishes commentaries on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, about which she has also published a legal analysis. She speaks fluent Armenian, Farsi (Persian), German, English, French, and Spanish.

Education
After studying law and earning a doctorate in international law at the University of Vienna, she completed an MPhil (Master of Philosophy) in international law at the University of Paris III, an LLM (Master of Laws) in American law at Boston University, and subsequently an Executive Master in International Negotiation and Policy Making in Geneva at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies.

Professional Career
After stints as a Research Assistant at Harvard University and Boston University, she worked as a lawyer for the car manufacturer Renault-Nissan. Subsequently, she was a Policy Analyst for the OECD for the Middle East and North Africa region. Returning to the academic field, she held several positions at the prestigious Sciences Po University, including serving as the Dean of Undergraduate Studies. She was also a Visiting Lecturer at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies.

Until 2018, she was a Litigation Lawyer specializing in international insurance law for the Bank of Scotland. She currently works as an independent lawyer, with law offices in Strasbourg and Vienna, practicing in German, English, and French.