The White House has again proposed David Kostelancik as the ambassador of the United States of America to Albania. This reappropriation comes after at the beginning of January, the Senate in the USA did not approve the appointment of David Kostelancik as the ambassador of the USA to Albania.
This is because, during the session that ended at the end of last year, the Senate did not include the vote for the confirmation of Mr. Kostelancik and dozens of other appointees on the agenda within the deadlines. The diplomats’ nominations were blocked by some Republican senators.
The Senate asked US President Joe Biden to approve a new candidate for the position. But David Kostelancik’s name has been sent back to the US Senate for approval.
“David J. Kostelancik, from Illinois, Career Member of the Senior Foreign Service, Minister Counselor Class, is nominated to be the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of Albania,” the White House announced.
Although the same candidacy was resubmitted, the process in the Senate starts over, but the relevant committee that examines the candidacy has broad powers and can call it again for testimony or not. In the past, for most reappointments, committees do not recall nominations for testimony.
Kostelancik, a career diplomat, was appointed to the post of United States Ambassador to Albania in January of last year. Mr. Kostelancik testified about his priorities before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in March of last year. In April, the Committee voted to confirm him, but the full Senate vote did not take place.
David Kostelancik has served in Albania even before in the period 1992-1994, as the first representative for political and economic issues in the newly opened American embassy in Tirana. Prior to his appointment as ambassador, he served as Foreign Policy Advisor to the US Chief of Staff, General Mark Milley.
Kostelancik is a diplomat with a 30-year career. He has served twice in the American Embassy in Moscow, in the US missions in OSCE and NATO, as well as in Ankara, Turkey. He speaks Russian, Hungarian, Albanian and Turkish.
