List of ambassadors of the United States to Belarus

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Ambassador of the United States to Belarus
Пасол Злучаных Штатаў у Беларусі
Seal of the United States Department of State
Incumbent
Peter Kaufmann
as Chargé d’Affaires
since June 26, 2023
NominatorThe President of the United States
AppointerThe President
with Senate advice and consent
Inaugural holderDavid Heywood Swartz
as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
FormationAugust 11, 1992
Websiteby.usembassy.gov

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

U.S. diplomatic terms

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

  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ "Belarus". U. S. Department of State. Retrieved 2011-05-21.
  3. ^ 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"
  4. ^ "Background Belarus". United States Department of State. Retrieved 2011-08-06.
  5. ^ "US Ambassador Visits Belarus Opposition Leader on Eve of Putin-Lukashenko Meeting". 21 April 2021.
  6. ^ Chief of Mission |Minsk, Belarus - Embassy of the United States
  7. ^ a b "New Head Of US Embassy Arrives in Minsk". Retrieved 2019-03-21.
  8. ^ "Farewell Address of Chargé D'affaires Robert Riley". 17 July 2018. Retrieved 2019-03-21.
  9. ^ "New U.S. charge d'affaires arrives in Belarus". Retrieved 2019-03-21.
  10. ^ "Chargé d'affaires Jeffrey Giauque". US Embassy in Belarus. Retrieved 25 August 2020.
  11. ^ "2020-12-31 - Ambassador Assignments Overseas Report" (PDF). Office of Presidential Appointments.
  12. ^ @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

External links

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