James D. Pettit
James Pettit is an American diplomat and United States Ambassador to Moldova. He was nominated by President Barack Obama and confirmed by the Senate. Pettit was sworn in as U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Moldova on January 16, 2015. He presented his credentials to President Nicolae Timofti on January 30, 2015.[1]
Pettit received a B.A. in International Studies studies from Iowa State University, and a M.A. in National Strategic Studies from the National War College. He speaks Russian, Spanish, German, Mandarin Chinese, and Romanian.[2]
Career
Between 2007 and 2010 Pettit was the Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Kiev, and prior to that (2003-2007) was Consul General at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow.
On 28 August 2016 James Pettit stated in an interview that "Moldova is not Romania", "Moldova has its own history", "unifying with Romania is not a practical choice and is not a choice that will make things better in Moldova", "it's important for Moldovans to see themselves as a separate nation", "Moldova, a multi-ethnic country", "Transnistria must have a special status".[3][4] His statement caused outrage among supporters of a union between the states, in both Moldova and Romania. A former Prime Minister of Moldova, Ion Sturza, criticized the attitude of James Pettit, and questioned whether his opinion is also shared by the US Department of State. He added "if Ambassador Pettit would like an iron curtain built between the Republic of Moldova and Romania, it could be built with the old American military trucks seen at the Moldova Independence Day parade".[5] In turn, former Romanian President Traian Basescu, who holds dual Romanian and Moldovan citizenship, accused James Pettit of being "a trumpet of Moscow" who promotes "Stalin-like propaganda" that "negates historical facts" and represents an "insult to Romania".[6]
Personal life
In 1981 Pettit married Nancy Bikoff Pettit, current U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Latvia. The couple have two grown children.[7]
See also
References
- ^ JAMES D. PETTIT, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO THE REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA U.S. Embassy, Moldova, accessed May 28, 2016
- ^ Ambassador Pettit speaking Romanian and Russian YouTube accessed September 10, 2016
- ^ Moldova 1 interview with James Pettit accessed August 30, 2016
- ^ Reacţia Departamentului de Stat din SUA la declaraţiile ambasadorului James Pettit accessed August 30, 2016
- ^ Sturza's reaction to the USA ambassador's declaration accessed August 30, 2016
- ^ Traian Basescu: Declaration of James Pettit is an affront to Romanian history accessed August 30, 2016
- ^ U.S. Embassy Riga: Ambassador Nancy Bikoff Pettit accessed September 10, 2016
