Philip Reeker Retires From His Role as as U.S. Secretary of State’s Advisor on Caucasus Negotiations

WASHINGTON, DC — The US State Department has announced the retirement of Ambassador Philip Reeker from his role as the senior advisor for Caucasus negotiations, from the Foreign Service, effective January 5th.

“For over thirty years, Ambassador Reeker has epitomized dedication and service to the department and the people of the United States of America, including as assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs and as our chargé d’affaires at our embassy in London,” State Department Spokesman Ned Price said at a daily briefing.

“Ambassador Reeker’s work as the senior advisor for Caucasus negotiations accelerated engagement and helped build a structured process to bring peace to a troubled region. His contribution reaffirms the importance the United States places in helping Armenia and Azerbaijan negotiate a bilateral sustainable peace, as well as our goal of supporting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia, as lead of our delegation to the Geneva International Discussions. Since the beginning of Ambassador Reeker’s appointment in August of last year, it was always understood and expected that he would serve in this position on a short-term basis until the end of last year,” Price said.

“Ambassador Reeker’s departure in no way undermines the United States’ commitment to promoting a secure, stable, democratic, prosperous, and peaceful future for the South Caucasus region. The United States continues to engage bilaterally with likeminded partners, like the European Union, and through international organizations, like the OSCE, to facilitate direct dialogue between Azerbaijan and Armenia and to find solutions to all outstanding issues related to or resulting from the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict,” he added.

The Spokesman did not mention any candidate to replace Reeker.