U.S. President Barack Obama appointed Wednesday Francis Joseph Ricciardone as his country’s new ambassador in the Turkish capital city.
U.S President President Obama, using his special authority, appointed Ricciardone during the recess in legislative year at the U.S. Senate.
Ricciardone, who had been previously nominated for the ambassador’s office in Ankara, could not start his duty earlier as the Senate had not been approving his appointment for a long time.
In the previous legislative term, the ambassador’s taking the post was blocked by Republican Senator Sam Brownback. According to the U.S. Constitution, appointments to key positions such as ambassadors need an approval from the Senate. However, the U.S. President has the authority to make appointments to these posts temporarily during congressional recess. Ricciardone’s appointment is expected to be approved during the new legislative term at the Senate and within a year’s time.
New Ambassador Ricciardone, a diplomat who knows Turkey closely, carried out various duties in Turkey previously and has a good command of Turkish language.
Ricciardone has served since 2009 as Deputy Ambassador and Charge d’Affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan. He also served as ambassador to Egypt until 2008, and ambassador to the Philippines and concurrently to Palau. Ambassador Ricciardone began his career in Ankara and Adana, Turkey. He served twice again in Turkey: as political advisor to the U.S. and Turkish commanders of Operation Provide Comfort at Incirlik Air Force Base, and as Deputy Chief of Mission and Charge d’Affaires. He led the transition to an organization of the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad in 2004, and the Department of State’s Task Force in response to the attacks of September 11, 2001. He also served as former Secretary Albright’s Special Representative for the Transition of Iraq from 1999-2001.
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The ambassador, who graduated summa cum laude from Dartmouth College in 1973, knows Italian, French and Arabic in addition to Turkish.
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