The new US Ambassador to Slovakia officially started her posting on August 20, when she presented her credentials to President Zuzana Čaputová.
“It is with a deep love of country and a family spirit of resilience and creativity that I am so humbled and excited to lead our talented team in Slovakia to advance our shared values and interests," Ambassador Bridget Brink said.
On August 19, the new US Ambassador to Slovakia Bridget Brink attended a meeting with Slovak Foreign Affairs Minister Miroslav Lajčák.
Both the ambassador and minister agreed that the dynamics of cooperation between Bratislava and Washington are at a very good level, bringing tangible results in the form of several successful projects and activities.
“The US is not only a very strategic partner for Slovakia but also a good friend and reliable ally,” said Lajčák, as quoted by the TASR newswire.
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...The minister also pointed out the importance of deepening and maintaining Transatlantic relations and cooperation through the EU - USA platform.
Who is the new ambassador?
Bridget A. Brink arrived in Slovakia on August 15, 2019.
Since joining the Foreign Service in 1996, Ambassador Brink has spent most of her career focused on Europe. She most recently served as Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs and was responsible for policy related to Eastern Europe and the Caucasus. She also served as Deputy Chief of Mission at the US Embassy in Tbilisi, Georgia (2011-2014) and at the US Embassy in Tashkent, Uzbekistan (2014-2015).
Read also:Who may take the post of US Ambassador to Slovakia? Read more Earlier in her career, Ambassador Brink served as Director for the Aegean and the South Caucasus at the National Security Council from 2008-2009. In the State Department, she served as Deputy Director for Southern European Affairs (2008-2009), Special Assistant to the Under Secretary for Political Affairs (2002-2004), and Cyprus Desk Officer (1999-2002). Her other overseas assignments include Tbilisi, Georgia, and Belgrade, Serbia.
Ambassador Brink holds Master’s degrees in International Relations and Political Theory from the London School of Economics and Political Science as well as a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Kenyon College.
Brink also speaks Russian, Serbian, basic Georgian and French.
Originally from Michigan, Ambassador Brink is married to Nicholas Higgins, a Foreign Service Officer with the U.S. Agency for International Development. They have two sons. The family enjoys nature, hiking, sports (especially hockey and skiing) as well as theater, music and art.
American President Donald Trump nominated Brink to the post on March 2019; her position was later approved by the Senate. She took the post after the outgoing Ambassador Adam Sterling, who had held it since 2016.
20. Aug 2019 at 13:20 | Compiled by Spectator staff
