Julie Stufft Confirmed as U.S. Ambassador to Kazakhstan 

The U.S. Senate has confirmed Julie Stufft as the new U.S. Ambassador to Kazakhstan, Orda.kz reports. The vote took place on October 6, passing by a narrow margin.

According to official Senate records, 50 senators voted in favor of Stufft’s appointment, 45 opposed, and five abstained.

Stufft’s nomination was first announced in early July. A career diplomat with over 25 years of experience, she has served as deputy chief of mission in Moldova and at the U.S. Mission to Russia. The new ambassador speaks English, Russian, Romanian, French, and Polish.

At her Senate confirmation hearing in late July, Stufft emphasized that she would focus on strengthening cooperation between Washington and Astana, promoting U.S. investment in Kazakhstan’s energy sector, and working closely with President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Russia looms over Kazakhstan across the world’s longest land border, with China trying to dominate the telecommunications and extractive sectors. The United States benefits from a Kazakhstan that is stable, independent, and prosperous. Kazakhstan is a solid partner to the United States in other areas, including improving export controls to curb Russian sanctions avoidance and making essential contributions to the C5+1 diplomatic platform,,she stated during the hearing.

The position of U.S. Ambassador to Kazakhstan has been vacant since late January, following the resignation of Daniel Rosenblum. The former ambassador has since transitioned to academia, where he now lectures at a university.

Original Author: Igor Ulitin