Through a releasethe president of the United States, Joe Biden, nominated this Friday the veteran diplomat Hugo Rodríguez to occupy the position of ambassador of the United States in Nicaragua, replacing Kevin Sullivan.
Rodríguez has the rank of Minister Counselor. Currently, he works as an adviser in the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs of the Department of State. Between 2019 and 2021, he served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs, being the second of the United States Foreign Ministry for Latin America.
Related news: The United States confirms “bilateral communication” with the Ortega administration
Prior to that, Rodríguez served as Deputy Chief of Mission at the US Embassy in Asunción, Paraguay; and as Chargé d’Affaires from 2017 to 2018. Additionally, Rodríguez served as Consul General at the United States Embassy in Mexico City. Hugo Rodríguez’s term ended on September 16, 2021.
Rodríguez has an MBA from the University of Virginia Darden School of Business. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Hampden-Sydney College.
Current Ambassador Kevin Sullivan was confirmed in the position on October 12, 2018 by the United States Senate. He arrived in the country under the mandate of Donald Trump, succeeding Laura Dogu in office.
Related news: Laureano Ortega sought rapprochement with the United States to negotiate the end of the sanctions on his family
The information released by the White House comes after a spokesperson for the United States Department of State confirmed that that country maintains bilateral communication with the Daniel Ortega regime, without specifying what type.
The New York Times revealed that the dictator’s son, Laureano Ortega, had contacts with US officials to request the cessation of sanctions in exchange for the release of political prisoners.
“Shortly after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the most prominent son of Nicaragua’s autocratic president, Daniel Ortega, quietly approached Washington to restart dialogue, according to officials and diplomats familiar with the rapprochement, while the (Joe) Biden administration imposed sanctions against Moscow, one of the few allies of the Central American country. The key issue on his mind: sanctions relief for the family », says the American newspaper.
They add that “a high-ranking official from the US State Department was sent to Managua to meet with Laureano Ortega in March, but the meeting never took place because the Ortegas apparently chickened out.”
