The US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, has appointed Deputy Assistant Secretary Matthew Palmer as his Special Representative for the Western Balkans, according to a press release issued by the State Department.

In this role, Palmer will lead our efforts to strengthen U.S. diplomatic engagement in support of peace, stability, and prosperity in the region and focus on integration of the Western Balkan countries into Western institutions. As Special Representative, Palmer will travel to Slovenia beginning on September 1 to attend the Bled Strategic Forum. He will also represent the United States at the Quint Balkan Directors meeting in Brussels and attend meetings in Vienna and Podgorica, September 4-10. In addition to serving as the Secretary’s Special Representative, Palmer will continue to serve as Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs, a position he has held since 2018. Previously, he was Director of the Office of South Central Europe.