Senate Confirms Eric Rubin as New US Ambassador to Bulgaria

The Senate confirmed on Wednesdy Eric Seth Rubin as the new US ambassador to Bulgaria.

This was announced by the US embassy in Sofia in its Facebook profile.

The hearing of the nominee before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee was held on December 2., with US President Barack Obama having appointed Rubin in September.

Rubin is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, who most recently served as Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs, a position he started in 2011 and held for four years.

He gained valuable regional expertise as Charge d'Affaires in Moscow during the 2008 war between Russia and Georgia.

He has also served as Deputy Chief of Mission in the US embassy to Moscow (2008-2011), Executive Assistant to the Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs (2006-2008) and Director of the Office of Policy and Coordination at the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (2004-2006).

Prior to that, he was Consul General/Principal Officer at the US Consulate General Chiang Mai in Thailand (2001-2004), Resident Associate and Rusk Fellow at the Institute for the Study of Diplomacy at Georgetown University (1999-2000) and Special Assistant to the Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs (1998-1999).

He also served as Assistant White House Press Secretary for Foreign Affairs and NSC Director for Public Affairs (1997-1998), Special Assistant to the Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs (1996-1997) and Deputy Political Counselor at the US Embassy in Kiev (1994-1996).

Rubin earned a BA in history from Yale University in 1983. His languages are Russian, Ukrainian, Spanish French and Thai.

Recently, he warned that Bulgaria is exposed to...