Richard Hoagland in March 2015. Image courtesy Carl Schreck / RFERL.
Richard Hoagland in March 2015. Image courtesy Carl Schreck / RFERL.

The Obama administration nominated veteran diplomat Richard Hoagland as the U.S. co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, which deals with the Karabakh negotiations, “on the interim basis,” the U.S. embassy in Armenia reported. Hoagland is temporarily replacing U.S. co-chair James Warlick, with a “permanent replacement [to] be announced at a future date.”

Prior to this appointment, Hoagland was based in Jordan, serving as liaison on the conflict in Syria, having previously served as principal deputy assistant secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs, ambassador to Kazakhstan and charge d’affaires in Turkmenistan.

In 2006, Hoagland was nominated to be ambassador to Armenia, but did not receive senate approval on the grounds that he – unlike Amb. John Evans he would be replacing – refused to officially use the term Armenian genocide. Hoagland’s nomination was subsequently withdrawn in 2007.