Derek Chollet, a senior advisor in the United States Department of State, has been nominated for the position of Under Secretary of Defense for Policy in the United States.
Chollet, who has been involved in several issues in the Western Balkans, such as the relations between Kosovo and Serbia, was congratulated on his nomination by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
“Congratulations to my friend on his nomination to serve as Under Secretary of Defense for Policy. Upon his confirmation, our loss will be the Department of Defense’s gain, and our nation will continue to benefit from his dedicated service,” wrote Blinken.
Chollet expressed gratitude to Blinken and the opportunity “to return to the Department of Defense and work with the Secretary of Defense on our nation’s security”.
It has been the greatest honor to serve the American people with @secblinken and the dedicated @statedept team. I am humbled by the opportunity to return to @DeptofDefense and work with @secdef on our nation’s security. I look forward to working with the Senate on my… https://t.co/6IUWXOFSxC
— Derek Chollet (@CounselorDOS) July 25, 2023
Chollet, whose nomination still needs to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate, has been involved in the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia for the normalization of relations. In January, he visited Pristina and Belgrade as part of a regional tour.
In an interview during this visit, he stated that the final agreement between Kosovo and Serbia would require “difficult choices” and “political courage”.
“Both governments need to be willing to show readiness for compromises. We believe that these compromises are possible. We are trying to find creative solutions to help them make those compromises,” said Chollet.
The position for which Chollet has been nominated was previously held by Colin Kahl since April 2021. He confirmed his departure in May of this year, after leading the Biden administration’s response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
