PESHAWAR: Richard H Riley assumed his role as the United States Consul General in Peshawar. Consul General Riley is a career diplomat with the rank of Minister Counselor. He most recently served as the Chargé d'affaires ad interim at the US Embassy in Oslo, Norway, according to a press statement issued here on Friday.

"I am looking forward to continuing to build on the strong relationship between our two countries as we work towards a sustainable bilateral relationship and a secure region," he said after assuming his role at the Consulate General.

Consul General Riley's extensive diplomatic career includes service as the Assistant Chief of Mission at the US Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan and two previous tours of duty in Afghanistan.

Other senior US Department of State leadership positions have included Deputy Chief of Mission at the US Embassy Sana'a, Yemen (2015-2017) and Principal Officer/Consul General for Atlantic Canada at the US Consulate General in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada (2012-2015). He served two tours of duty in Iraq, first as leader of the US-Italian PRT in Nassiriyah Province (2006-2007), followed by service as the US Senior Coordinator for Democracy and Human Rights in Iraq (2007-2008) at the U.S. Embassy Baghdad.

During his 29-year career in the United States Foreign Service he has also served as the Deputy Director of the Office of Egypt & Levant Affairs at the Department of State, where he guided US foreign policy in Egypt, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon (2009-2010), and a senior academic year at the National War College at Ft McNair, Washington DC (2008-2009), where he graduated with honors as a Distinguished Graduate. Riley has studied Pashto, Mandarin Chinese, Arabic, Russian, and French.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021