New U.S. ambassador arrives in Tirana, credentials ceremony tomorrow

The new U.S. Ambassador, Eric Wendt, arrived in Tirana this Friday, where the credentials ceremony is expected to take place tomorrow at a meeting with President Bajram Begaj.

According to the agenda, a reception will be held at the Palace of Brigades at 11:00. It will then be followed by a tête-à-tête meeting between Begaj and Ambassador Wendt.

Sources from the presidency confirmed that tomorrow the ceremony for presenting the credentials of the new U.S. ambassador will take place.

Wendt was confirmed in June by the U.S. Senate with 51 votes in favor and 47 against, receiving final approval for his diplomatic post.

His nomination had received the support of the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations with a 19-3 vote, paving the way for final approval in the Senate plenary session.

Who is Wendt?

Wendt has a long career spanning over three decades in the military and in international security structures.

He is a retired United States Army officer with over 34 years of service.

He has served as commander of NATO’s Special Operations Headquarters, and has held key posts in the Middle East and the Pacific region.

During his career, Wendt served as the U.S. Security Coordinator for the Israeli-Palestinian Authority in 2017–2019, as well as Chief of Staff at the U.S. Pacific Command.

Wendt graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and completed postgraduate studies in national security at the Naval Postgraduate School.