| Ambassador of the United States to Belarus | |
|---|---|
| Пасол Злучаных Штатаў у Беларусі | |
 Seal of the United States Department of State | |
| Nominator | The President of the United States |
| Appointer | The President with Senate advice and consent |
| Inaugural holder | David Heywood Swartz as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary |
| Formation | August 11, 1992 |
| Website | by |
The United States ambassador to Belarus is the official representative of the president of the United States to the head of state of Belarus.
Until 1991, the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic had been a constituent republic of the Soviet Union. During the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the Supreme Soviet of the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic declared independence on August 25, 1991, and renamed itself the Republic of Belarus on September 19, 1991. The United States recognized Belarus on December 26, 1991. An embassy was established in the capital, Minsk, on January 31, 1992, with John Ford as Chargé d’Affaires ad interim. Relations between the United States and Belarus have been continuous since that time.
The U.S. Embassy in Belarus is located in Minsk. Since March 12, 2008, when Ambassador Karen Stewart was formally recalled for consultations, there has been no accredited U.S. Ambassador in Minsk. All but five U.S. diplomats were declared persona non grata on April 30, 2008.
Ambassadors
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U.S. diplomatic terms |
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Career FSO After 1915, The United States Department of State began classifying ambassadors as career Foreign Service Officers (FSOs) for those who have served in the Foreign Service for a specified amount of time. Political appointee A person who is not a career foreign service officer, but is appointed by the president (often as a reward to political friends). Appointed The date that the ambassador took the oath of office; also known as "commissioning". It follows confirmation of a presidential appointment by the Senate, or a Congressional recess appointment by the president. In the case of a recess appointment, the ambassador requires subsequent confirmation by the Senate to remain in office. Presented credentials The date that the ambassador presented his letter of credence to the head of state or appropriate authority of the receiving nation. At this time the ambassador officially becomes the representative of his country. This would normally occur a short time after the ambassador's arrival on station. The host nation may reject the ambassador by not receiving the ambassador's letter, but this occurs only rarely. Terminated mission Usually the date that the ambassador left the country. In some cases a letter of recall is presented, ending the ambassador's commission, either as a means of diplomatic protest or because the diplomat is being reassigned elsewhere and replaced by another envoy. Chargé d'affaires The person in charge of the business of the embassy when there is no ambassador commissioned to the host country. Ad interim Latin phrase meaning "for the time being", "in the meantime". |
| Name | Title | Appointed | Presented credentials | Terminated mission | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| David Heywood Swartz – Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | August 11, 1992 | September 9, 1992 | January 21, 1994 | |
| Kenneth Spencer Yalowitz – Career FSO | September 29, 1994 | November 7, 1994 | July 8, 1997 | ||
| Daniel V. Speckhard – Career FSO[1] | August 1, 1997 | September 18, 1997 | August 5, 2000 | ||
| Michael G. Kozak – Career Civil Service (non-FSO) | September 15, 2000 | February 22, 2001 | August 8, 2003 | ||
| George A. Krol – Career FSO | July 1, 2003 | October 22, 2003 | July 24, 2006 | ||
| Karen B. Stewart – Career FSO | August 14, 2006 | October 24, 2006 | March 12, 2008[2][3][4] | ||
| Jonathan M. Moore – Career FSO | Chargé d'Affaires ad interim | March 12, 2008 | —[5] | July 7, 2009 | |
| Michael Scanlan – Career FSO | July 7, 2009 | — | June 2013 | ||
| Ethan A. Goldrich – Career FSO | June 2013 | — | June 30, 2014 | ||
| Scott Rauland[6] | June 30, 2014 | — | July 8, 2016[7] | ||
| Robert J. Riley | August 22, 2016[7] | — | July 17, 2018[8] | ||
| Jenifer H. Moore | August 17, 2018[9] | — | July 27, 2020 | ||
| Jeffrey Giauque[10] | July 27, 2020 | — | December 22, 2020 | ||
| Julie D. Fisher – Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | December 15, 2020[11] | December 23, 2020 | June 9, 2022 | |
| Ruben Harutunian | Chargé d'Affaires ad interim | June 9, 2022 | June 25, 2023[12] | ||
| Peter Kaufmann | Chargé d'Affaires ad interim | June 26, 2023 | Present |
Notes
- ^ During his tenure, Ambassador Speckhard was recalled for one year because of a dispute between the government and Western embassies over the confiscation of diplomatic residences. "Background Belarus". United States Department of State. Retrieved 2011-08-06.
- ^ "Belarus". U. S. Department of State. Retrieved 2011-05-21.
- ^ Ambassador Stewart was "recalled for consultations" at the request of the government of Belarus on March 12, 2008. Sources: The New York Times: "U.S. Cuts Embassy Staff ", Moscow Times: "U.S. Ambassador Leaving Belarus"
- ^ "Background Belarus". United States Department of State. Retrieved 2011-08-06.
- ^ "US Ambassador Visits Belarus Opposition Leader on Eve of Putin-Lukashenko Meeting". 21 April 2021.
- ^ Chief of Mission |Minsk, Belarus - Embassy of the United States
- ^ a b "New Head Of US Embassy Arrives in Minsk". Retrieved 2019-03-21.
- ^ "Farewell Address of Chargé D'affaires Robert Riley". 17 July 2018. Retrieved 2019-03-21.
- ^ "New U.S. charge d'affaires arrives in Belarus". Retrieved 2019-03-21.
- ^ "Chargé d'affaires Jeffrey Giauque". US Embassy in Belarus. Retrieved 25 August 2020.
- ^ "2020-12-31 - Ambassador Assignments Overseas Report" (PDF). Office of Presidential Appointments.
- ^ @USEmbBy (June 25, 2023). "Today we bid a fond farewell to US Embassy Minsk Charge d'Affaires Ruben Harutunian, a true friend of the Belarusian people, as he moves on to his next diplomatic assignment" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
See also
References
- United States Department of State: Background notes on Belarus
This article incorporates public domain material from U.S. Bilateral Relations Fact Sheets. United States Department of State.
External links
- United States Department of State: Chiefs of Mission for Belarus
- United States Department of State: Belarus
- United States Embassy in Minsk
This page was last edited on 27 September 2023, at 12:51