John Beyrle | |
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| United States Ambassador toRussia | |
| In office July 2, 2008 – January 10, 2012 | |
| President | George W. Bush Barack Obama |
| Preceded by | William J. Burns |
| Succeeded by | Michael McFaul |
| United States Ambassador toBulgaria | |
| In office July 9, 2005 – April 28, 2008 | |
| President | George W. Bush |
| Preceded by | James W. Pardew |
| Succeeded by | Nancy McEldowney |
| Personal details | |
| Born | John Ross Beyrle (1954-02-11)February 11, 1954 (age 72) Muskegon, Michigan, U.S. |
| Profession | Diplomat |
John Ross Beyrle (born February 11, 1954) is an American diplomat. A careerForeign Service Officer and specialist in Russian and Eastern European affairs, he served asAmbassador of the United States to theRussian Federation from July 3, 2008, until January 10, 2012, and as Ambassador to Bulgaria from 2005 to 2008.
Beyrle was Ambassador in Moscow during the "reset" of Russian-American relationship, which saw the signing of theNew START arms control treaty, agreement on peaceful uses of nuclear energy, Russia's accession to the World Trade Organization, and liberalized visa formalities for American and Russian travelers.
He retired from the State Department in July 2012 with the rank ofCareer Minister, the diplomatic equivalent of a three-star general. He serves on the Board of Directors of several non-profit foundations, including as Chairman of theU.S. Russia Foundation, and as an adviser and business consultant on Central and Eastern Europe, Russia, and other countries of the former Soviet Union.
Beyrle was born on February 11, 1954, inMuskegon, Michigan. His father,Joseph Beyrle, a decoratedWorld War II veteran, was one of the few American G.I.s to serve with both theUnited States Army and theRed Army.[1]
Beyrle received hisbachelor's degree with honors fromGrand Valley State University, and aMaster of Science degree as a Distinguished Graduate of theNational War College. Beyrle completed additional language study in Russian at the University of Michigan andMiddlebury College.[2].
He joined theState Department in 1983, served his first tour as a political and consular officer at the U.S. Embassy inMoscow (1983–1985), and later was Deputy Chief of Mission in Moscow (2002–2005). His other overseas assignments included political officer in Bulgaria (1985–1987), Counselor for political and economic affairs at the U.S. Embassy inPrague (1997–1999); and member of the U.S. delegation to the Conventional Forces in Europe negotiations inVienna (1990–1993). His Washington assignments included Acting Special Advisor to Secretary of State Colin Powell for the New Independent States; Director for Russian, Ukrainian and Eurasian Affairs at theNational Security Council (1993–1995); staff officer to Secretaries of StateGeorge Shultz andJames Baker; and foreign policy adviser to U.S. SenatorPaul Simon.
Beyrle served as Ambassador to Bulgaria from 2005 to 2008. During his term as ambassador, Bulgaria signed aDefense Cooperation Agreement with the United States allowing U.S. soldiers to train at Bulgarian bases (see article onBulgarian-American relations). He also oversaw the end of U.S. assistance to Bulgaria from theUnited States Agency for International Development (USAID), and made several public speeches urging the Bulgarian Government to step up its fight against organized crime and corruption. The Bulgarian press was generally favorable toward Ambassador Beyrle, due in large part to his ability to speak and give interviews inBulgarian. The daily newspaperStandart commented: "for the first time he explained in fluent Bulgarian why the United States is concerned about organized crime and corruption in Bulgaria."[3] In 2008, Bulgarian PresidentGeorgi Parvanov presented him with the Order of Stara Planina, the highest award of the Bulgarian Government, for his contributions to Bulgarian-American relations.
Ambassador Beyrle was nominated by PresidentGeorge W. Bush on May 13, 2008, to be the United States Ambassador to the Russian Federation, and was confirmed by theU.S. Senate on June 27. One month after his arrival in Moscow, Russia and Georgia fought the brief2008 South Ossetia War. On September 11 in an interview on the Russian radio stationEkho Moskvy he noted that the United States had warned the Georgian government not to respond to provocations and not to send troops intoSouth Ossetia, and he criticized the Russian actions inGeorgia, particularly the rapid recognition of South Ossetia andAbkhazia.[4]
After the election of PresidentBarack Obama in November 2008, Beyrle took an active part in the new administration's efforts to "reset" the Russian-American relationship. He helped organize and took part in the state visit of President Obama to Moscow in July 2009, and the reciprocal visit by President Medvedev to Washington and California in 2010. He gave frequent media interviews and speeches in Russian to explain America's desire for better relations, including to university audiences inVladivostok,St. Petersburg,Nizhniy-Novgorod andSochi.[5]
On U.S.Veterans Day in 2009, Ambassador Beyrle invited a large number of RussianWorld War II veterans to his residence, Spaso House, to highlight the wartime alliance between the United States and theSoviet Union. He presided over the return to Russia of a medallion belonging toCzar Nicholas II, which had been stolen from theHermitage Museum in the 1990s and recovered by a joint operation of the Russian Ministry of Culture and Russian Prosecutor's office and the U.S.Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Beyrle was the first American Ambassador to Russia to use social media, in Russian, to speak directly to the Russian internet audience. On March 30, the day after the bombing in theMoscow Metro which killed thirty nine people, Beyrle laid flowers at the site of the bombing and used his blog to express his condolences.[6]
On October 29, 2010, Ambassador Beyrle celebrated the connections between American and Russian literature and culture by hosting an Enchanted Ball atSpaso House. The ball recalled the Spring Ball of 1935 held by AmbassadorWilliam Christian Bullitt, when the house was decorated with live birds, a birch forest, and a real bear. One of the guests at the 1935 ball was writerMikhail Bulgakov, who used elements of that ball as an inspiration for Woland's Ball in his novelMaster and Margarita.[7]
During the tour of Ambassador Beyrle in Moscow, there was a notable improvement in the tone ofRussian-American relations. The United States and Russia signed theSTART-2 agreement on the reduction of nuclear weapons, as well as agreement on the peaceful uses of nuclear energy, and an agreement reducing visa restrictions and providing better monitoring of adoptions. After 15 years of negotiations, Russia finally became a member of the World Trade Organization. Russia permitted the United States to supply its armed forces inAfghanistan via air and land transit. Russian law enforcement agencies began cooperating more regularly with the U.S.Department of Homeland Security, theDrug Enforcement Administration, and theFederal Bureau of Investigation. The U.S. military carried out several joint military exercises with the Russian military, and U.S. aircraft took part in theMoscow air show. For the first time U.S. soldiers participated in the parade onRed Square marking the anniversary of the end ofWorld War II. Although serious differences remained overmissile defense, the occupation ofGeorgian territory andhuman rights, the political relationship was less confrontational than it had been in previous years.[8]
| Diplomatic posts | ||
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| Preceded by | United States Ambassador to Bulgaria 2005–2008 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | United States Ambassador to Russia 2008–2012 | Succeeded by |
 Russian Empire(1780–1917) | |
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 Soviet Union(1933–1991) | |
| Russian Federation (1991–present) | |
| International | |
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| National | |
