The new US Ambassador to Pakistan, Donald Armin Blome, is set to arrive in Islamabad on 23rd May to take up his new role as America’s top diplomat.
According to media reports, Donald Blome took his oath on Thursday.
He will be the first full-time envoy to Pakistan since 2018. David Hale was the last career US ambassador who relinquished the charge in August 2018.
Ambassador Blome, currently the US ambassador to Tunisia, has served in Missions across the Middle East and Asia.
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His illustrious career includes senior roles as part of diplomatic missions to Iraq, Israel, Kuwait, and Egypt and serving as Political Counsellor to the US Embassy in Kabul.
The Senate approved his appointment in March of this year.
The US Department of State congratulated Ambassador Blome in a Tweet, adding that the partnership between the US and Pakistan was “key to progress on regional security, trade, investment, the climate crisis, and human rights.”
Congratulations to Donald Blome on being confirmed by the Senate as our next Ambassador to Pakistan! Partnership with Pakistan is key to progress on regional security, trade and investment, the climate crisis, and human rights. 🇺🇸 🇵🇰 pic.twitter.com/2RFgToXj2A
— State_SCA (@State_SCA) March 2, 2022
The ambassador will arrive in Pakistan just days after Pakistan’s new Foreign Minister, Bilawal Bhutto, in his maiden visit to the US, urged US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken to strengthen trade ties between the two countries.
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Bilawal attended the ministerial meeting on the “Global Food Security Call to Action” at the United Nations on Wednesday at the invitation of Blinken.
Experts see the timing of his arrival as Washington’s explicit signal that it wishes to reset ties with Islamabad under the new Shehbaz Sharif Government, noting that the Trump administration did not appoint a full-time Ambassador under the Imran Khan government.
The relations only became worst when former Premier Khan accused the US of a conspiracy to ouster him. Therefore, at a time when alleged US involvement in Pakistani politics is making headlines, Ambassador Blome will have a tough assignment ahead of him.