The Diplomat
The new US Ambassador to Spain, Julissa Reynoso, delivered her Copies of Letters of Credence at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday, one day after arriving in Madrid.
Reynoso thus takes charge of the diplomatic representation, which has been headed for the last year by the Minister Counsellor, Conrad Tribble, who became Chargé d’Affaires after the previous ambassador, Duke Buchan, left the Embassy in January 2021.
The ambassador can now carry out many of her duties in Spain, although to be able to do so fully she must present her Letters of Credence to the King, something that will take place when a new ceremony is convened, at the earliest in February.
The new ambassador arrived in Madrid on Monday, accompanied by her son, Lucas, and her two dogs, Celeste and Kika, according to her biography on the Embassy’s website.
Upon her arrival, Reynoso made a brief statement in which she expressed her satisfaction at being in Spain and her desire to “work on deepening our historic relations, which have existed since the founding of the United States”. She added: “As President Biden has said on several occasions, the United States is back to acting on the values that have always defined my country.
The ambassador, who is also ambassador to Andorra, said that during her stay she would dedicate her time to translating these principles into relations with the two countries, the EU and the international community. With Spain and Andorra,” she said, “we have a long history of collaboration and effective work in the promotion of our shared values, in the promotion of democracy, culture, human rights and common objectives in areas such as trade and economy, security and defence”.
“We share the goal of making the world safer, highlighting the importance of the environment and equality between people. We fight together against climate change and the spread of misinformation. We stand for diversity and inclusion in our societies. We will meet these challenges with the determination that has always characterised our peoples,” she also said.
Reynoso, of Dominican origin, was, during the Obama Administration, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs and later, between 2012 and 2014, US Ambassador to Uruguay.
She holds a BA in Government from Harvard University, an MA in Philosophy from Cambridge University (UK) and a law degree from Columbia University.
According to the Embassy’s website, she is passionate about theatre and the visual arts, and her hobbies include music, especially jazz, soul, classical music, boleros, rancheras, salsa and merengue.
