Ambassador of the United States to The Republic of Kosovo
Philip S. Kosnett was nominated by President Trump in July 2018 and confirmed by the Senate in September to be America’s fifth Ambassador to the Republic of Kosovo. He was sworn in as Ambassador on November 27 in Washington, DC and presented his credentials to President Hashim Thaci on December 3.
Ambassador Kosnett’s most recent prior assignment was as Deputy Chief of Mission and subsequently Chargé d’Affaires ad interim in Ankara, Turkey from 2016-2018.
Much of Ambassador Kosnett’s career has been focused on international security cooperation and political reconciliation. He has served as Deputy Chief of Mission in Uzbekistan and in Iceland; and in political, political-military, and economic-commercial positions in Afghanistan, Iraq, Kosovo, The Netherlands, Japan, and Turkey. Washington assignments include tours in the State Department’s European Affairs, Counterterrorism, Political-Military, and Intelligence & Research bureaus as well as State’s 24-hour Operations Center.
Ambassador Kosnett is a multiple recipient of the State Department Superior Honor and Meritorious Honor Awards, and a recipient of the Office of the Secretary of Defense Medal for Exceptional Civilian Service and the Department of the Army Medal for Outstanding Civilian Service. He has studied Turkish, Japanese, Dutch, and Russian.
A 1982 graduate of Harvard, Ambassador Kosnett worked as a game designer in New York and as a teacher in Japan prior to entering the Foreign Service. His wife Alison Kosnett is an international business and development consultant; son Alex an environmental planner; and daughter Nicole a social media producer.