Jeffrey Hovenier was sworn in on Tuesday before Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland as the new US Ambassador to Kosovo. The news was announced by the US Embassy in Pristina in a Facebook post, where it is added that they can not wait for the arrival of the new diplomat in Kosovo. A senior diplomat from Bellingham was recently appointed by the Biden administration to serve as US Ambassador to Kosovo. President Joe Biden appointed Hovenier in July, and he was unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate on November 18, and this is the first time Hovenier has served as U.S. ambassador. In addition to Kosovo and Turkey, Hovenier has served in Germany, Croatia, Greece, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Serbia and Montenegro. He speaks German, Greek, Croatian and Spanish and has received numerous awards, including some from the Government of the Republic of Kosovo. Hovenier played a role in the negotiations that eventually led to Kosovo's declaration of independence from Serbia in 2008.