Deputy Assistant Secretary of the U.S, Thomas Vajda will take charge of South Asian affairs after the retirement of current chief diplomat for the region, Alice Wells, on May 22.
According to the reports, the U.S state department has confirmed the news on Monday.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in a Twitter post announced the change on Sunday afternoon, saying: “I will miss Alice’s wise counsel and dedicated efforts to build relationships and address challenges across South and Central Asia.”
“I personally came to admire Ambassador Wells’ dedication to our team’s mission and her dogged pursuit of American excellence. We commend her service and wish her the best,” he stated.
Alice Wells is a veteran diplomat and she has served as an acting assistant secretary of state for South and Central Asia for almost 4 years. Before this she was U.S Ambassador to Jordan from 2014 to 2016. President Donald Trump removed her as Ambassador, in 2016 at the request of King Abdullah II.
As deputy assistant secretary for South Asia, Mr Vajda oversees US policy towards India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Maldives and Bhutan. His duties do not include Pakistan.