Natalie Baker
Natalie Ashton Baker | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait | |
| Chargé d'affaires | |
| Assumed office January 2025 | |
| Preceded by | Donald Blome (ambassador) |
Natalie Ashton Baker[1] is an American diplomat who has served as the chargé d'affaires at the United States embassy in Islamabad since January 2025.[2] A minister counselor in the Senior Foreign Service, Baker previously served as the deputy chief of mission at the same embassy.[2][3]
Education
[edit source]Baker received her bachelor's degree from Princeton University and holds a master's degree in public policy from Harvard University.[4] She is a graduate of the National War College at the National Defense University. Baker speaks Arabic, Persian, Spanish, and Russian.[2]
Career
[edit source]From 2009 to 2011, Baker served as political and economic counselor in Libya, as the relationship between the two countries was thawing after nearly three decades of strain.[4] She remained there until February 2011, when the Libyan Revolution forced the embassy there to close.[5]
From August 2021 to July 2024, she served as deputy chief of mission at the US embassy in Doha.[2] Before that, she had been serving as the director of the Office of North African Affairs in the State Department's Near Eastern Affairs Bureau.[2]
Baker has been assigned as a special assistant in the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, as a consular officer in Islamabad, and as a cultural affairs officer in Ashgabat.[4] Her other assignments include deputy chief of mission and chargé d'affaires in Libya, deputy director of the Iran Regional Presence Office at the US consulate in Dubai, and economic counselor at the US embassy in Kuwait, where she worked with the Department of Defense to help with the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq.[5]
Pakistan
[edit source]In August 2024, Baker arrived in Islamabad as the deputy chief of mission.[4] Upon the departure of Donald Blome, she was appointed chargé d'affaires at the mission in January 2025.[2]
She has worked to launch several projects in Pakistan, such as a new building of the United States Educational Foundation, and has coordinated with Pakistani government officials and business executives to promote American investment and jobs.[6]
Strategic metals agreement
[edit source]On September 8, 2025, Baker oversaw the signing of two memoranda of understanding between US Strategic Metals and Pakistan's Frontier Works Organization.[7] Speaking on the occasion, she called the signing of the agreement "another example of the strength of the US-Pakistan bilateral relationship that will benefit both countries."[7] US Strategic Metals invested $500 million in Pakistan's rare earth elements and critical minerals under the agreement.[7]
Iran war
[edit source]Baker received US vice president JD Vance on 11 April 2026 upon his arrival in Islamabad during the negotiations between the US and Iran.[8] She had been assured of "foolproof" security measures for the visiting delegation by Pakistani interior minister Mohsin Naqvi a day earlier.[9]
On 5 August, she met defence minister Khawaja Asif to discuss the regional and international security situation and ways to enhance cooperation between the two countries.[10]
Freedom 250
[edit source]On the occasion of the 250th anniversary celebrations of America, Baker praised the United States' relationship with Pakistan, with the mission expressing gratitude to the Pakistani government for celebrating the anniversary.[11][12] Several landmarks in the country were illuminated in the colors of the US flag, including the Pakistan National Monument and Globe Chowk on the Constitution Avenue.[11]
Agricultural cooperation
[edit source]On 6 August 2026, Baker highlighted America's commitment to furthering cooperation on agricultural technology with Pakistan while speaking during a webinar organized by the Business Council for International Understanding in collaboration with the US embassy, the government of Pakistan, and the US Department of Commerce.[13] She noted that access to American technology would generate opportunities for US firms and make Pakistan's agricultural sector more productive, efficient, and sustainable.[13]
See also
[edit source]References
[edit source]- ↑ "Natalie Ashton Baker". LinkedIn. Retrieved 2026-07-30.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Pakistan, U.S. Mission (2025-01-11). "Chargé d'Affaires Natalie A. Baker - U.S. Embassy & Consulates in Pakistan". U.S. Embassy & Consulates in Pakistan. Archived from the original on 2026-01-06. Retrieved 2026-07-30.
- ↑ Pakistan, U.S. Mission (2022-10-17). "Deputy Chief of Mission - U.S. Embassy & Consulates in Pakistan". U.S. Embassy & Consulates in Pakistan. Archived from the original on 2026-01-07. Retrieved 2026-07-30.
- 1 2 3 4 "US Mission to Pakistan welcomes Natalie A Baker as new deputy chief of mission". 2024-08-15. Retrieved 2026-07-30.
- 1 2 "Bexpress". www.bexpress.com.pk. Retrieved 2026-07-30.
- ↑ "Natalie Baker US Embassy, Age, Husband, Parents & Biography". Hamariweb.com Profiles. Retrieved 2026-07-30.
- 1 2 3 "With Pakistan-US Relations on the Upswing, Should China Be Worried?". Retrieved 2026-07-30.
- ↑ "US VP JD Vance, special envoys Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner arrive in Pakistan for 'Islamabad Talks'". The Express Tribune. 2026-04-11.
- ↑ "Vance en route, Iranian delegation touches down for Islamabad talks". Dawn. 2026-04-10.
- ↑ "Asif stresses importance of sustained dialogue for regional peace, security in meeting with US envoy". The Express Tribune. 2026-08-05.
- 1 2 "Natalie Baker hails evolving US-Pakistan partnership on America's 250th anniversary". The Express Tribune. 2026-07-05. Retrieved 2026-07-30.
- ↑ "Pakistan, US reaffirm expanding partnership at Independence Day event in Islamabad". The Nation. 2026-06-04. Retrieved 2026-07-30.
- 1 2 Shafqat Ali (2026-08-07). "American technology can support Pakistan's farm modernisation: Natalie". The Nation.