Matt has had a rich and varied diplomatic career that includes White House Special Advisor to Vice President Dick Cheney, Military Advisor to Secretaries of State Warren Christopher and Madeline K. Albright, participating in six Presidential summits, and helping to negotiate the START III Treaty Framework and the Conventional Forces Europe (CFE) Treaty Extension.

From 2012 to 2015, Matt served as a Deputy Assistant Secretary General of NATO, overseeing NATO transformation and the transition to the new NATO Headquarters, at the time, the largest public works project in Europe.

Matt’s 20-plus year diplomatic career culminated with his five-year tenure as the United States Ambassador to Turkmenistan from 2019 to 2024. During this time, his Embassy team expanded and strengthened bilateral relations between the United States and the government of Turkmenistan in every area, from trade and commerce to military cooperation, human rights, and cultural exchanges.

Matt remains involved in Eurasian regional issues and currently sits on the Advisory Board of the Caspian Policy Center (CPC)
https://www.caspianpolicy.org

Just as in ancient times, Central Asia, along the Silk Road, provides the connective tissue between East Asia and Europe. In the 21st century, the United States finds itself in a fight for influence in this little understood region of the world. Rich in natural gas, critical minerals, and Rare Earth Elements, the five former Soviet Republics continue to feel Moscow’s pull and to varying degrees of success, have kept Putin, and his desire to dominate them politically and even militarily, at arm’s length. China is a natural trading partner and makes no secret of its desire to be the region’s economic powerhouse to the exclusion of Western influence.

Ambassador Klimow is available to speak to audiences about the growing importance of Central Asia and Eurasia to America’s security interests.