US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Hoyt Brian Yee has been tipped as the next US Ambassador in Macedonia, sources of Exit in Skopje confirm.
With the recent appointment of Wess Mitchell as new Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs by the US Senate, the gap left by former Obama-era Assistance Secretary Victoria Nuland has been filled by the administration of Us President Donald Trump. Since January 20, Yee had looked after Nuland’s duties. It may be expected that Mitchell is looking for a deputy that has not been appointed by the previous US president.
Ever since the departure, Deputy Assistant Secretary Yee has played a significant role in the Western Balkans, playing an important role in the solution of the political crises in the region that all came to a head in May. Within 24 hours, the political stalemate in Macedonia was resolved with the instalment of the new government of Zoran Zaev, the MacAllister+ agreement in Albania, and parliamentary elections in Kosovo.
Even after this diplomatic success, Yee continued to be prominent in Western Balkans politics, recently stating that the truth about the wiretapping scandal in Macedonia, which had led to the fall of the Gruevski government, and the Tahiri–Habilaj affair in Albania needs to come out. He recently visited Belgrade and Prishtina, in the hope of furthering the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia.
