Dubai: United States Consul-General to Dubai Rob Waller is moving on to new challenges after serving his post in the UAE for the last three years.
Waller said in an address to a crowded US iftar at the Ritz-Carlton in Dubai on Tuesday that it was an honour to have served in Dubai at an exciting time in its growth.
His replacement has yet to be officially announced.
Waller told Gulf News that he “will very much miss Dubai. I’m very proud of strengthening the relationship between our two countries.
“I’m particularly proud of the strength of our friendship and of our cooperation on a wide range of issues”, Waller said.
Barbara A. Leaf, US Ambassador to the UAE, said that Waller was a leader who will be missed.
Leaf said, “Under Rob’s dedicated leadership, our Consulate General has grown in parallel to meet the challenges of the multifaceted [bilateral] relationship” with the UAE.
“We will miss Rob greatly when he leaves in the next two weeks and we wish him all the best.”
Waller helped oversee a new visa centre in 2012 at the Dubai consulate to streamline the process with on-site processing for tourism and academic purposes.
Under Waller’s watch, more staff were also added at the 160-seat centre to boost service capacity at 14 service counters inside the consulate.
The centre was initiated to help oversee more than 60,000 annual visa applications.
Waller has been a member of the US Foreign Service since 1998, served on the National Security Staff at the White House as director for Israeli, Palestinian and Jordanian Affairs and has held several diplomatic posts in Baghdad, Jeddah, occupied Jerusalem and Paris.
