The U.S. Senate has unanimously confirmed career Foreign Service officer Scot Alan Marciel to serve as ambassador to Myanmar.
Tuesday's 90-0 vote elevates Marciel from the post of Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian Affairs, a position he assumed in 2013.
Marciel, who replaces Ambassador Derek Mitchell, has also served in Vietnam, the Philippines, Indonesia, Turkey and Brazil.
President Barack Obama nominated Marciel in October. His Senate confirmation briefly stalled over congressional concerns that the White House might ease long-standing economic sanctions against Myanmar, before the Southeast Asian nation fully follows through on promises to improve human rights conditions at home.
But Tuesday, Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell praised Mitchell's tenure and welcomed Marciel to his new position.
