New US ambassador to present her credentials on Monday

The new US Ambassador to Cyprus, Judith Gail Garber, will present her credentials on Monday morning to President of the Republic, Nicos Anastasiades, during a ceremony at the Presidential Palace.

The US Senate on January 2 confirmed Garber`s appointment as the new ambassador of the United States to Cyprus. Garber was sworn in during a ceremony at the State Department on March 1 and arrived to Cyprus last week.

She is a career diplomat and has served as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs at the United States Department of State, a position she held since 2012. She previously served at United States missions overseas, including as US Ambassador in Riga, Latvia from 2009 to 2012 and in senior leadership positions in Washington DC, such as a Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs at the United States Department of State.

She will replace Kathleen A. Doherty, who served as the US Ambassador to Cyprus since October 2015.

Addressing the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations last October, Garber pledged that if her nomination was confirmed she would work to advance in Cyprus the fundamental US interest in a Europe whole, free, prosperous, and at peace.

She also pledged to do all she could, to support efforts by the leaders, by ordinary Cypriots, by the guarantor powers, and by the United Nations to reach the promise of a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation, pointing out that a reunified Cyprus would provide a more prosperous future for all Cypriots.

She also said that Cyprus was a valued friend and important strategic partner with whom the US cooperate on a range of priorities, including counterterrorism, maritime security, and law enforcement.