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Richard Hoagland named US interim Co-Chair of OSCE Minsk Group

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Starting in January 2017 Ambassador Richard Hoagland will assume the position of US Co-Chair of the Organization for Security and Cooperation of Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group on an interim basis. He will replace Ambassador James Warlick, who will step down as US Co-Chair on December 31. US Embassy to Armenia reports in a released statement.

As the source reports, Ambassador Hoagland brings over 30 years of diplomatic experience to the position. He served as U.S. Ambassador to Tajikistan from 2003 to 2006, U.S. Ambassador to Kazakhstan from 2008 to 2011 and as Deputy Ambassador to Pakistan from 2011 to 2013. Ambassador Hoagland most recently led US-Russian military coordination for the Cessation of Hostilities in Syria and served as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs at the State Department in Washington.  Prior to these assignments, Ambassador Hoagland led the Office of Caucasus and Central Asian Affairs in the Bureau of Europe and Eurasian Affairs and was Press Spokesman for the US Embassy in Moscow.

Ambassador Hoagland’s extensive diplomatic experience will be critical as the United States works with the sides toward a lasting and peaceful settlement to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The United States continues to call on the parties to maintain their commitment to the ceasefire and to implement agreements reached at the Vienna and St. Petersburg summits, and urges a return to negotiations on a settlement, which would benefit all sides.

The permanent replacement for Ambassador Warlick will be announced at a future date.

 

Source Panorama.am

Greece names new interim prime minister

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0,,18677860_303,00The Greek president has appointed an interim prime minister as the country prepares for fresh elections in September. Vassiliki Thanou’s selection comes after all the major parties were unable to form governments.

Vassiliki Thanou was appointed caretaker prime minister on Thursday by Greece’s President Prokopis Pavlopoulos. Thanou, head of the country’s Supreme Court, will be the first woman to hold the position as the country gears up for snap elections likely to be held on September 20.

The 65-year-old will assume the post later on Thursday evening, and then appoint a cabinet to be sworn in the following day. Her appointment comes after parliament’s three largest parties were unable to find willing coalition partners.

Outgoing Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras resigned last week after only seven months in office. Tsipras, facing a revolt from within his left-wing Syriza party, hopes to bolster support for the country’s new bailout program with a fresh election.

Greece accepted its third bailout since 2010 in July, enraging hardliners among Syriza’s ranks who saw Tsipras’ actions, after running on a campaign against austerity, as betrayal to the country’s creditors.

Despite this flip, Tsipras is expected to emerge victorious in the September polls, although it is uncertain if he will get enough votes to govern alone or be forced to seek another coalition, though he has already ruled out aligning with any opposition centrist parties.

For his part, Tsipras’ maverick former Finance Minister Yannis Varoufakis told Reuters news agency he will not partake in the “sad” elections.

Tsipras has accused Varoufakis of “losing credibility among his interlocutors” during debt negotiations with the European Union and International Monetary Fund.

es/jil (AP, AFP, Reuters)