Trump Announced Name Of Candidate For US Ambassador To Belarus

The American embassy in Minsk has been operating in a reduced format since 2008.

U.S. President Donald Trump said he intends to nominate Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Western Europe and EU Affairs Julie Fisher as U.S. Ambassador to Belarus, the White House informs. We should remind that Belarus and the USA have been working without ambassadors for the last 12 years.

"Today, President Donald Trump announced his intention to nominate the following persons for key positions in his administration: Julie Fisher, from the state of Tennessee, [as] U.S. Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Belarus," - it was reported. The Senate must approve the Ambassador's candidacy.

In February, the media reported on Fisher's possible appointment. Fisher previously worked as Deputy Permanent Representative of the United States to NATO, as well as in the U.S. embassies in Tbilisi, Kiev and Moscow. The diplomat speaks Russian, French and some Georgian.

In September 2019, US Deputy Secretary of State for Political Affairs David Hale visited Minsk. He said that the U.S. intends to return his ambassador to Belarus.

The U.S. Embassy in Minsk has been operating with a reduced staff, without an ambassador since 2008. At first a limit of five diplomats was set, but gradually it was expanded to 10. Now the embassy is headed by Charge d'Affaires a.i. Jennifer Moore.