New US ambassador presents credentials to President Erdoğan

ANKARA

The United States’ new ambassador to Turkey, Jeffrey Lane Flake, presented his credentials to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Jan. 26.

Flake, a former Republican senator, arrived in Turkey on Jan. 7 , replacing David Satterfield, who will serve as the U.S. special envoy to the Horn of Africa.

Flake, a long-term Republican politician from Arizona, had been critical of former President Donald Trump and was rewarded by Democrat Joe Biden who took office at the White House after the November 2020 elections.

Flake’s nomination was approved at the Senate in October. He took his oath at a ceremony in early December with the participation of Vice President Kamala Harris. “I am happy to be here. I thank you very much for this nice reception,” Flake told reporters on Jan. 7.

In the meantime, Satterfield has been appointed as the U.S.’s new special envoy to the Horn of Africa, replacing Jeffrey Feltman.

Satterfield, one of the most experienced career diplomats, was serving in Ankara since August 2019.

“Ambassador Satterfield’s decades of diplomatic experience and work amidst some of the world’s most challenging conflicts will be instrumental in our continued effort to promote a peaceful and prosperous Horn of Africa and to advance U.S. interests in this strategic region,” U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a message on Jan. 6.