- Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs
The Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs is a position within the American
Department of State that leads theBureau of European and Eurasian Affairs charged with implementing American foreign policy inEurope andEurasia , and with advising theUnder Secretary for Political Affairs on matters relating to diplomatic missions within that area. The current Assistant Secretary, who was appointedMay 5 ,2005 , isDaniel Fried .Originally, the Department of State first established a Division of Western European Affairs in 1909, which handled European nations primarily bordering on the
Atlantic Ocean and their colonies. The Division of Near Eastern Affairs handled relations with most Central, Eastern, and Southern European countries until afterWorld War I . During the interwar period, responsibility for much of Central and Eastern Europe shifted to the Division of European Affairs, althoughGreece ,Turkey , andCyprus were handled as part of the Near East untilApril 18 ,1974 . FollowingWorld War II , the Department completed the transfer of responsibility for the former colonies of European nations, exceptCanada , to the Bureaus of Near Eastern, South Asian, African Affairs, and Far Eastern Affairs.The Department of State later established the Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs in 1949. This came after the Commission on Organization of the Executive Branch of Government, also known as the
Hoover Commission , recommended that certain offices be upgraded to bureau level, and after Congress had increased the number of Assistant Secretaries of State from six to ten. OnSeptember 14 ,1983 , an administrative action changed the title of the incumbent to Assistant Secretary of State for European and Canadian Affairs. OnJanuary 12 ,1999 , the title was changed back to Assistant Secretary for European Affairs. During theGeorge W. Bush administration,A. Elizabeth Jones was sworn in with the title of Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs.External links
* [http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ho/po/12047.htm The Department of State's list of former Assistant Secretaries]
* [http://www.state.gov/p/eur/ The Department of State's section on the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs]
* [http://web.archive.org/web/20050312060910/http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/biog/3261.htm The Department of State biography of A. Elizabeth Jones] .
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