The US administration has informed Congress of its intention to close five small embassies, consulates, and other diplomatic missions in Africa, Asia, and the Western Hemisphere. This step is accompanied by plans to reopen shuttered facilities in Libya and Syria, as well as the long-closed embassy in Venezuela, reports infohub.kz.
In separate notices sent to lawmakers late last week, the State Department stated it would close the embassy on the Caribbean island of Grenada, the consulates in Nagoya, Japan, and Medan, Indonesia, the American Presence Post in Winnipeg, Canada, and an embassy branch office in Douala, Cameroon.
According to the notices obtained by the Associated Press, these closures are expected to save the government approximately $4.4 million per year. However, the missions to be closed employ very few people compared to others.
The embassy in St. George's, Grenada, and the consulate in Nagoya each have only one American staffer and five local employees. The consulate in Medan has four American staffers and 47 local employees. The Winnipeg post has only two local staffers, and the embassy office in Douala has only 14 local staffers.
The State Department announced plans earlier this year to permanently close the US consulate in Peshawar, Pakistan, which has been the closest diplomatic mission to Afghanistan since American troops withdrew in 2021.
These steps come as the department moves to streamline its operations at home and abroad, while investing millions of dollars into reopening the US embassies in Caracas, Damascus, and Tripoli to restore America's formal diplomatic presence following the ouster of long-ruling autocrats in those countries.