Trump recalling dozens of Biden-era ambassadors, including from Armenia

The Trump administration is recalling a number of career ambassadors appointed by former President Joe Biden, according to a State Department official familiar with the situation and the head of the diplomats’ union, Politico reports.

John Dinkelman, president of the American Foreign Service Association, the diplomats’ union, said the group had been getting reports from ambassadors as far afield as East Asia and the Pacific who were told via phone calls that they had to be gone by Jan. 15 or Jan. 16. The envoys were not given a reason.

The move is the latest major shake-up of the diplomatic ranks under President Donald Trump. It is particularly unusual because it involves envoys who hail from the career Foreign Service.

While it is normal for new presidents to replace political appointees serving as ambassadors, career diplomats are typically allowed to continue serving because it is understood that, by virtue of being in the Foreign Service, they will carry out the wishes of whoever is in the White House regardless of political party.

In a statement, the State Department insisted that the recalls were “a standard process in any administration.”

“An ambassador is a personal representative of the president and it is the president’s right to ensure that he has individuals in these countries who advance the America First agenda,” the department said in the statement.

According to the Associated Press, Africa is the continent most affected by the removals, with ambassadors from 13 countries being removed: Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Gabon, Ivory Coast, Madagascar, Mauritius, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Somalia and Uganda.

Second is Asia, with ambassadorial changes coming to six countries: Fiji, Laos, the Marshall Islands, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines and Vietnam affected.

Four countries in Europe (Armenia, Macedonia, Montenegro and Slovakia) are affected; as are two each in the Middle East (Algeria and Egypt); South and Central Asia (Nepal and Sri Lanka); and the Western Hemisphere (Guatemala and Suriname).