Summary Olson will replace Dan Feldman whose term ended on 18th of September.
ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – United States (US) Ambassador to Pakistan Richard G. Olson was on Friday appointed as a Special Representative for Pakistan and Afghanistan. Olson’s appointment was announced in a statement by Spokesperson for US State Department. The Spokesperson stated that Olson will take charge of his new designation on 17th of November, the time when his term as Ambassador to Pakistan ends.
The Spokesperson stated that Olson will replace Dan Feldman whose term ended on 18th of September. The statement by the Spokesperson said that Ambassador Olson will assure implementation of policies and programs for the growth, development and stability of Pakistan and Afghanistan in support of US national interests.
Olson was officially appointed as US Ambassador to Pakistan by US President Barack Obama on July 18th 2012. Olson replaced previous Ambassador Cameron Munter after his resignation. Olson s appointment came as US prepared to withdraw its forces from Afghanistan, an action whose effect was felt on the already shaky Pak-Afghan relations. Olson s appointment came as US-Pak diplomatic relations went through a bumpy time. Ambassador Munter, an advocate of reconciliation with Pakistan in the Obama administration, resigned in May 2012 after a stressful tenure which spanned major events like Osama Bin Laden secret assassination in Abbottabad by the US forces, which left Pakistan with a wary feeling for the Obama administration. Munter was frustrated with US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the Pentagon leading the policy on Pakistan with him being left to heal the side effects of such an attitude. Tensions also soared during Munter s tenure as a US air raid caused deaths of 24 Pakistani troops which sparked an outcry for apology by the US.
Olson s appointment as Ambassador to Pakistan coincided with James B. Cunningham s appointment as US Ambassador to Afghansitan replacing Ryan Crocker.
Before being officially designated as Ambassador, Olson s professional profile included his service as the Coordinating Director for Development and Economic Affairs at the US Embassy in Kabul from June 2011 to June 2012. Before this, he was the US Ambassador in UAE from 2008 to 2011. Ambassador Olson career as a Foreign Service officer spans 30 years including his appointments in Saudi Arabia, Brussels, Iraq, Mexico, Uganda, Tunisia and Ethiopia. With an undergraduate degree in law, history and society from Brown University, Olson joined the US State Department in 1982. Olson was also the deputy chief of mission at the United States Mission to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) where his services included State Department operations and in the office of Iraqi Affairs.
Olson holds numerous awards to his name in years of service as a Foreign Officer which include Presidential Distinguished Service Award, the State Department’s Superior Honour Award and the Secretary of Defense’s Exceptional Civilian Service Award for his services in Iraq.
