Secretary of State John Kerry thanked Adnan Kifayat, who served as the Acting Special Representative to the Muslim Communities for the past six month and has now left the position to work for the German Marshall Fund, a think tank.
"As Adnan departs the State Department, we're extremely grateful not just for his efforts these last months, but for his years of service to the State Department serving four Secretaries of State," said Kerry in a statement Tuesday.
He added that Kifayat, "is a terrifically capable public servant who joined the Department as the Deputy Special Representative three years ago following a long and accomplished career, which included stints at the Treasury, the White House, and as Senior Adviser to the Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy." During his post as a special representative, Kifayat led three initiatives that included, "a small business entrepreneurship project in Morocco; a counter extremism initiative in Indonesia; and the establishment of an innovation hub in Malaysia" Kerry affirmed, "the work of the Special Representative to Muslim Communities could not be more important to me or to the Department, and I am grateful for all of Adnan's hard work even as we wish him great success in his future endeavors." (end) ak.gta