U.S. Ambassador Richard Norland Arrives in Georgia (September 5)

Ambassador Richard Norland arrived on September 5 and will be received at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs later the same day to coordinate presentation of credentials to President Saakashvili. Ambassador Norland, a Foreign Service veteran of 32 years, will become the seventh U.S. Ambassador to Georgia, in the 20-year history of the U.S.-Georgia bilateral relationship. 

Prior to his nomination as U.S. Ambassador to Georgia, Ambassador Norland served as the Deputy Commandant at the National War College.  He served as U.S. Ambassador to Uzbekistan from September 2007 to July 2010.  He also served for two years as Deputy Chief of Mission at the American Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan and as Deputy Chief of Mission in Riga, Latvia. 

Ambassador Norland speaks Russian, French, and Norwegian.  He and his wife, Mary Hartnett, have two children.