The US State Department terminates nearly 30 diplomats in embassies around the World
The United States has announced the termination of nearly 30 diplomats who hold ambassadors and senior officials at a number of US embassies around the world, in a major step toward restructuring the US diplomatic representation abroad.
The State Department officials said that the heads of diplomatic missions in at least 29 countries were informed last week that their duties would officially end by January.
The source explained that all the diplomats covered by this decision had taken up their positions during the administration of former President Joe Biden, but they continued in their positions after the beginning of Trump’s second term, after surviving the first wave of exclusions that mainly targeted political stakeholders.
The situation has changed recently, as the diplomats concerned have started receiving official notices from Washington that their duties are coming to an end.
Despite the termination of their duties as ambassadors, the sources confirmed that these diplomats won’t be dismissed from the State Department or the diplomatic corps, but will be able to return to Washington, to assume other positions or tasks, if they wish to continue working.
The US State Department declined to comment on the number of ambassadors affected or disclose their names, but defended the measures, calling them part of “normal practice for any new administration”.
According to the State Department, “the ambassador is a personal representative of the president… Therefore, he has the right to choose whomever he deems appropriate to represent the United States abroad in a way that serves his political agenda”.
This decision comes as the Trump administration seeks to strengthen its “America First” approach and ensure diplomatic representatives are fully aligned with Trump’s foreign policies and policies.
