Known as an expert on Turkey, Jeffrey is a career diplomat who had served in Turkey three times in the past before being posted to Ankara as ambassador in December 2008. In addition to serving as the deputy national security adviser for former President George W. Bush prior to his posting in Ankara, Jeffrey served as US ambassador to Albania from 2002 to 2004. He was deputy chief of mission at the US Embassy in Baghdad from 2004 to 2005.
The US Senate must approve President Obama’s nomination before the nominee assumes his new position.
Several media reports posted from Washington earlier said that Deputy US Ambassador to Afghanistan Francis Ricciardone, Jr., has been tapped to succeed Jeffrey as ambassador in Turkey.
According to his biography on the US State Department website, Ricciardone’s Foreign Service assignments include two tours in Turkey, most recently (1995-1999) as deputy chief of mission and chargé d’affaires.
He also served in two multinational military deployments as chief of the Civilian Observer Unit of the Multinational Force and Observers in Egypt’s Sinai Desert, and as political advisor to the US and Turkish commanding generals of Operation Provide Comfort, based in Turkey and operating in Iraq. Ricciardone speaks Italian, Turkish Arabic and French.
