American Ambassador Hovenier hands over credentials to the President of Kosovo
American Ambassador Hovenier hands over credentials to the President of Kosovo
The new American ambassador, Jeff Hovenier, handed over his credentials to the President of Kosovo, Vjosa Osmani.
Osmani welcomed Ambassador Hovenier and assured him that “the USA will not find another more dedicated and loyal ally than the Republic of Kosovo”, reports Gazeta Express.
“It is my honor to present the new US ambassador to the Republic of Kosovo, Mr. Jeff Hovenier. At a very important time for both our countries, I am pleased to welcome Ambassador Hovenier to Pristina today, who is very close to the Republic of Kosovo because he served here earlier and understands very well the dynamics of our country”, said Osmani. She said that Kosovo has changed for the better from what Ambassador Hovenier can remember from his past service. “But one thing has remained constant throughout. These are our relations, partnership and friendship with the United States of America”, said Osmani. According to Osman, Kosovo is blessed to have the USA as a friend.
The US Embassy has announced on December 28, 2021 that Jeffrey Hovenier has been sworn in by Under Secretary of State Victoria Nuland as the new US Ambassador to the Republic of Kosovo.
Jeffrey M. Hovenier, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service with the rank of Minister-Counselor, served as Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Ankara, Turkey, where he served as Charge d’Affaires, from August 2018 to July 2019. Prior to that, he was the Acting Deputy Chief of Mission and Minister-Counselor for Political Affairs at the US Embassy in Berlin, Germany. He also served in US missions in Croatia, Greece, Panama, Paraguay and Peru; in the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE); in the staff of the UN special envoy for the status of Kosovo; and in temporary assignments in Serbia, Montenegro, and the U.S. delegation to the 1999 Kosovo Peace Talks. His assignments in Washington include serving as Director for Central and Southeastern European Affairs on the National Security Council and European Bureau of the Department of State with responsibility for NATO and Central European affairs. Mr. Hovenier has spent a large part of his career, spanning over 31 years, in the Europe and Eurasia region with a focus on security issues. This broad and substantive experience in the region, along with his managerial experience and demonstrated ability to lead large interagency teams as well as policy-oriented offices, make him a well-qualified candidate to be Ambassador of the US- in Kosovo. Hovenier has received a number of Superior Honor and Senior Performance Awards and holds government honors from the Republic of Kosovo. A native of Washington state, he holds a Master’s degree from Georgetown University and a Bachelor’s degree from Brigham Young University. He speaks German, Greek, Croatian and Spanish. /Express newspaper/