U.S. diplomat Christopher Smith expected to head OSCE Mission to Moldova - media

CHISINAU. July 27 (Interfax) - A seasoned career American diplomat is likely to be appointed as head of the OSCE Mission to Moldova, media have reported.

Christopher Smith, a senior U.S. Department of State official, will soon become head of the OSCE Mission to Moldova, although this information has not yet been confirmed officially, a number of Moldovan media outlets have said.

Smith has been U.S. deputy assistant secretary of state for Eastern Europe and policy and regional affairs in the Department of State's Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs since July 2023.

He previously served as the director for Eastern Europe and the Caucasus at the National Security Council in 2021-2022 and deputy chief of mission at the U.S. embassy in Kiev in 2022-2023. Earlier, he also served overseas in Georgia, Turkey, Afghanistan, Cyprus, Ukraine, and Armenia.

At the U.S. Department of State, Smith also oversaw Belarusian affairs. He has extensive knowledge of the situation in Moldova and has repeatedly visited Chisinau and Tiraspol.

Smith is expected to replace U.S. diplomat Kelly Keiderling, which led the OSCE Mission to Moldova since 2022. She left the country in August 2025, after which Izabela Hartmann has served as acting head of mission.

The OSCE Mission to Moldova has been operating since 1993. It has offices in Chisinau, Tiraspol, and Bender.