The American ambassador to Morocco, Puneet Talwar, leaves office. This is what the knowledgeable reveals Africa Intelligencespecifying that the very active and fundamentally personable diplomat presented his resignation to the State Department at the end of December. In office since November 4, 2022, Puneet Talwar is preparing to leave Rabat on January 19, the eve of the inauguration of newly re-elected Republican President Donald Trump. His return to Washington is planned for the weekend before the inauguration ceremony, we read.
This resignation comes as Puneet Talwar was expected to join the team of Kamala Harris, Democratic candidate for the American presidency, as a security advisor. An experienced diplomat, he previously served as Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs, after actively participating in Barack Obama’s campaign in 2008.
The process of appointing a new ambassador to Rabat involves several steps, including confirmation by the US Senate and the presentation of a letter of credence to King Mohammed VI, a procedure which could extend over several months, notes Africa Intelligence.
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This departure also opens the way to other potential candidacies, notably that of David Fischer, former American ambassador to Rabat. Since the re-election of Donald Trump, he has expressed his interest in taking over this strategic position.
Appointed during Donald Trump’s first term, David Fischer is counting on his privileged links with the just re-elected president to replace the current United States ambassador in Rabat. Although short, his time in Rabat between 2020 and 2021 was most significant. Ambassador at the time of the conclusion of the Abraham Accords, he was also at the forefront of the American proclamation recognizing the sovereignty of Morocco over its southern provinces. He was also the first Western diplomat, and the first economic and military power in the world, to travel to Dakhla.
Retired since his departure from Rabat, David Fischer has never stopped advocating for American investments in the southern provinces and he did not fail to welcome the Israeli recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over the Sahara in June 2023 .
