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United States Special Envoy for Eurasian Energy

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Ambassador
Richard L. Morningstar
2nd Special Envoy for Eurasian Energy
Incumbent
Assumed office
20 April 2009
PresidentBarack Obama
Preceded byC. Boyden Gray

The Special Envoy for Eurasian Energy is a diplomatic position within the United States Department of State. The envoy is "engage directly with senior European, Central Asian, Russian and other political and business leaders to support the continued development and diversification of the energy sector."[1] The position is currently filled by Richard Morningstar.

C. Boyden Gray

The legislation calling for the position was drafted in 2007. In February 2008, responding to questions on the issue at a briefing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice reaffirmed that the State Department was looking to appoint a special energy coordinator for the Central Asian and Caspian region.[2][3] Thomas R. Pickering was reportedly high on the list, but he withdrew himself from consideration in early 2008.[4] On 31 March 2008 the Bush administration named C. Boyden Gray as the first envoy to this position.[1]

On 14 November 2008, Gray became part of the presidential delegation assigned to attend the Baku Energy Summit in Baku, Azerbaijan.[5] The delegation also included Ambassador to Azerbaijan Anne E. Derse and Secretary of Energy Samuel Bodman. After change of the United States Administration, Gray resigned from this position on 20 January 2009.

Richard Morningstar

Richard L. Morningstar was named to the position on 20 April 2009. He led the United States delegation to the energy conference in Sofia on 24–25 April 2009.[6] On 13 July 2009, Ambassador Morningstar represented the United States at the signing ceremony of the intergovernmental agreement of the Nabucco pipeline.[7][8] He has strongly opposed the possible participation of Iran in the Nabucco project.[9][10]

References

  1. ^ a b Statement by the Press Secretary - March 31, 2008 The White House
  2. ^ Rice's Opening Remarks at Senate Foreign Relations Committee America.gov
  3. ^ Rice: US Naming Special Energy Envoy Yahoo! Finance
  4. ^ US Diplomats Set Their Sights On Turkmenistan's Berdymukhamedov Eurasianet
  5. ^ Personnel Announcement, a November 10, 2008 White House news release
  6. ^ Daniel Fineren (2009-04-26). "Iran can make more of its energy riches: U.S. envoy". Reuters. Retrieved 2009-07-12.
  7. ^ Selcuk Gokoluk (2009-07-12). "Russia free to supply gas to Nabucco-U.S. envoy". Reuters. Retrieved 2009-07-12.
  8. ^ "Ankara prepares for Nabucco agreement". United Press International. 2009-07-12. Retrieved 2009-07-12.
  9. ^ "Nabucco gas pipeline nations wary of Iran-US envoy". Reuters. 2009-07-16. Retrieved 2009-07-19.
  10. ^ "U.S. envoy: No role for Iran in Nabucco". United Press International. 2009-06-25. Retrieved 2009-07-19.
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