United States Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan

Ambassador of the United States to Kyrgyzstan
Seal of the United States Department of State
Incumbent Sheila Gwaltney since August 20, 2015
Nominator	Barack Obama
Inaugural holder	Edward Hurwitz as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
Formation	August 11, 1992
Website	U.S. Embassy - Bishkek

This is a list of Ambassadors of the United States to Kyrgyzstan.

Until 1991 the Kirghiz Soviet Socialist Republic had been a constituent SSR of the Soviet Union. Upon the breakup of the USSR, the Supreme Soviet of Kyrgyzstan declared itself independent of the Soviet Union on August 31, 1991 and renamed itself the Republic of Kyrgyzstan. The United States recognized Kyrgyzstan on December 26, 1991. An embassy was established in the capital, Bishkek, on February 1, 1992, with Edmund McWilliams as Chargé d'Affaires ad interim. Relations between the United States and Kyrgyzstan have been continuous since that time.

The U.S. Embassy in Kyrgyzstan is located in Bishkek.

Ambassadors

U.S. diplomatic terms

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Career FSO
After 1915, The United States Department of State began classifying ambassadors as career Foreign Service Officers (FSOs) for those who have served in the Foreign Service for a specified amount of time.

Political appointee
A person who is not a career foreign service officer, but is appointed by the president (often as a reward to political friends).

Appointed
The date that the ambassador took the oath of office; also known as “commissioning”. It follows confirmation of a presidential appointment by the Senate, or a Congressional-recess appointment by the president. In the case of a recess appointment, the ambassador requires subsequent confirmation by the Senate.

Presented credentials
The date that the ambassador presented his letter of credence to the head of state or appropriate authority of the receiving nation. At this time the ambassador officially becomes the representative of his country. This would normally occur a short time after the ambassador’s arrival on station. The host nation may reject the ambassador by not receiving the ambassador’s letter, but this occurs only rarely.

Terminated mission
Usually the date that the ambassador left the country. In some cases a letter of recall is presented, ending the ambassador’s commission, either as a means of diplomatic protest or because the diplomat is being reassigned elsewhere and replaced by another envoy.

Chargé d'affaires
The person in charge of the business of the embassy when there is no ambassador commissioned to the host country. See chargé d'affaires.

Ad interim
Latin phrase meaning "for the time being", "in the meantime". See ad interim.

• Edward Hurwitz – Career FSO
  • Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
  • Appointed: August 11, 1992
  • Presented credentials: September 17, 1992
  • Terminated mission: Left post, October 11, 1994

• Eileen A. Malloy – Career FSO
  • Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
  • Appointed: August 26, 1994
  • Presented credentials: October 25, 1994
  • Terminated mission: Left post, July 7, 1997

• Anne M. Sigmund – Career FSO
  • Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
  • Appointed: August 1, 1997
  • Presented credentials: September 30, 1997
  • Terminated mission: Left post August 10, 2000

• John Martin O'Keefe – Career FSO
  • Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
  • Appointed: June 14, 2000
  • Presented credentials: September 23, 2000
  • Terminated mission: Left post July 6, 2003

• Stephen M. Young – Career FSO
  • Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
  • Appointed: April 16, 2003
  • Presented credentials: August 26, 2003
  • Terminated mission: Left post, August 17, 2005

• Marie L. Yovanovitch – Career FSO
  • Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
  • Appointed: July 9, 2005
  • Presented credentials: August 30, 2005
  • Terminated mission: 2008

• Tatiana C. Gfoeller – Career FSO
  • Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
  • Appointed: October 22, 2008
  • Presented credentials: Unknown
  • Terminated mission: 2011

• Pamela L. Spratlen – Career FSO
  • Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
  • Appointed: April 15, 2011
  • Presented credentials: May 24, 2011
  • Terminated mission: December 12, 2014

• Sheila Gwaltney – Career FSO
  • Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
  • Appointed: August 20, 2015
  • Presented credentials: Unknown
  • Terminated mission: Incumbent

See also

• Kyrgyzstan – United States relations
• Foreign relations of Kyrgyzstan
• Ambassadors of the United States

References

• United States Department of State: Background notes on Kyrgyzstan
•  This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Department of State (Background Notes).

External links

• United States Department of State: Chiefs of Mission for Kyrgyzstan
• United States Department of State: Kyrgyzstan
• United States Embassy in Bishkek