Yerevan/Mediamax/. U.S. Ambassador to Armenia in 2011-2014 John Heffern is "being forced out” of his job as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs.

Website of Foreign Policy magazine reported this, referring to sources in the current and former U.S. administrations. 

John Heffern was appointed acting U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs in January of 2017. He replaced Victoria Nuland and became one of key officials responsible for development and realization of U.S. policy in European and Eurasian region, and in South Caucasus in particular. Before taking the new position, John Heffern performed as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs.

In July of 2017 U.S. President Donald Trump nominated A. Wess Mitchell to be an Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs. His candidacy still has to be approved by U.S. Senate.

Foreign Policy writes that Heffern would have then returned to his permanent assignment as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for European Affairs, serving as a key lieutenant to Mitchell, but he “is being forced out”.

“It’s just another indication of the administration hollowing out top talent with real institutional knowledge,” said one former State Department official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.