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
US Department of State official seal.svg
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 holder David Heywood Swartz
as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
FormationAugust 11, 1992
Website by.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.

Contents

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

NameTitleAppointed Presented credentials Terminated missionNotes
David Heywood Swartz – Career FSOAmbassador Extraordinary and PlenipotentiaryAugust 11, 1992September 9, 1992January 21, 1994
Kenneth Spencer Yalowitz – Career FSOSeptember 29, 1994November 7, 1994July 8, 1997
Daniel V. Speckhard – Career FSO [1] August 1, 1997September 18, 1997August 5, 2000
Michael G. Kozak – Career Civil Service (non-FSO)September 15, 2000February 22, 2001August 8, 2003
George A. Krol – Career FSOJuly 1, 2003October 22, 2003July 24, 2006
Karen B. Stewart – Career FSOAugust 14, 2006October 24, 2006March 12, 2008 [2] [3] [4]
Jonathan M. Moore – Career FSOChargé d'Affaires ad interimMarch 12, 2008— [5] July 7, 2009
Michael Scanlan – Career FSOJuly 7, 2009—June 2013
Ethan A. Goldrich – Career FSOJune 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 FSOAmbassador Extraordinary and PlenipotentiaryDecember 15, 2020 [11] December 23, 2020June 9, 2022
Ruben HarutunianChargé d'Affaires ad interimJune 9, 2022June 25, 2023 [12]
Peter KaufmannChargé d'Affaires ad interimJune 26, 2023Present

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. 1 2 "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.

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References

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