US President Barack Obama has recently appointed John Teft US ambassador to Ukraine. This career diplomat has a vast experience working in the post-Soviet countries. In 1996-99 he was the first deputy head of the American mission in Moscow. In 2000-03 and in 2005-09 Teft headed the US diplomatic missions in Lithuania and Georgia respectively. The press service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs told The Day that all necessary procedures concerning Teft’s nomination are completed in Ukraine. It is too early to say when the procedures connected with his appointment will be finalized in the US. The website of the US Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs, which approves the nomination of ambassadors, has not yet mentioned the date for the hearing on Teft’s nomination.
COMMENTARIES
Yurii SHCHERBAK, ex-ambassador of Ukraine to the US:
“I welcome the fact that the United States has appointed an ambassador and intends to post him. In doing so the US has gone somewhat further than Russia, who has appointed but not yet posted an ambassador to Ukraine. For this pause in our relations has not useful for Ukraine.
“I also want to welcome the new American ambassador, who is a very experienced diplomat. His main distinguishing feature is that he has worked practically in the most important spots in the post-Soviet space. Having worked in Moscow, he has deep knowledge of the fundamentals of the Kremlin’s policy, as well as the methods of its implementation and, in general, the context of Moscow’s foreign policy priorities.
“In Lithuania Teft had an opportunity to watch the Baltic States take care of their security and their struggle for survival and the construction of relations with the big neighbor, Russia.
“In Tbilisi he was watching from the other side of the border how Moscow was carrying out its aggressive policy against Georgia to break it up and undermine its current ruling regime. In other words, he has had some serious tests there and is very knowledgeable about the situation in this highly explosive region.
“I think that Teft’s appointment to Ukraine has a symbolical meaning, because he is very experienced and versed in Russia’s policies regarding its neighbors, new challenges on the part of Russia, and its imperialistic claims to domination in this region. He won’t need too much time to get his bearings and study the situation on the spot. I think that when he was the US ambassador to Georgia, he understood Ukraine’s situation well, despite all the differences it has as compared to Georgia.
“We eagerly await his arrival in Kyiv and hope that he becomes an influential ambassador and US representative and that thanks to his activity Ukraine will not go off the radar screen of the US State Department and, in general, will not become marginal in the circle of US interests. For that would be a great mistake on the part of the US and a huge loss on the Ukrainian part.
“Taking into account Teft’s experience, I think that the information about Ukraine that he will supply to Washington will be objective. On the other hand, Ukraine should decide on its own what it ought to do in order to attract more interest from the US, a country that ensures our security via the Budapest Memorandum and has strategic partnership relations with us.”
Andro BARNOV, head of the Georgian Strategy and Development Institute, Tbilisi:
“Teft was probably the best US ambassador to Georgia. He made a great contribution to rapprochement between Georgia and America. Remarkably, the cooperation between our countries was closest and most intense precisely when Teft was in the ambassador’s seat. I think that in this sense he played a good role.
“Teft had contacts with both Georgian government and the opposition. I often saw him at the receptions given by representatives of the opposition. Therefore, I can vouch that some politicians were wrong to say that the American ambassador communicated only with the government.
“I believe that his opinion had an impact on the development of the US policy concerning Georgia. As an ambassador, he was able to bring his recommendations to Washington. I think he played a fairly important part in this. Of course, he was not the only one to give recommendations to the White House.
“Teft left us with a positive impression. He gave frequent speeches, but never intruded into Georgia’s home policy. The American ambassador was always ready and had a clear-cut standpoint on events.”
