Philip Ricker left the diplomatic service and the position of senior adviser to the US Secretary of State for negotiations in the Caucasus.
Since Riker's appointment in August 2022, State Department spokesman Ned Price said, "it was anticipated and expected that he would serve on a short-term basis until the end of the year." According to him, Ricker's work as a senior adviser to the US Secretary of State for negotiations in the Caucasus accelerated the interaction and helped build a structured process for establishing peace in the region.
Price added that "Ricker's departure in no way undermines Washington's commitment to ensuring a secure, stable, democratic, prosperous and peaceful future for the South Caucasus."
It should be noted that Ricker led the American delegation at the 56th round of Geneva discussions, which took place in October 2022, and in December he visited Tbilisi, met with the Prime Minister of Georgia, Iraklii Garibashvili, and recorded a video address to the people of the country.