The US Embassy in Sofia announced on Wednesady that Roderick Moore will assume duties as the interim charge d'affaires on August 5.

Moore, who was deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy to Bulgaria in 2000-2003, will serve in the new position until the latter part of this year, the embassy said in a statement.

"An announcement on the nomination of a successor to former Ambassador Marcie Ries will be forthcoming from the White House," according to the statement.

Moore's prior diplomatic assignments include U.S. Ambassador to Montenegro, deputy chief of mission at the US Embassy to Serbia, and Principal Deputy High Representative and Brcko District Supervisor at the Office of the High Representative in Sarajevo, in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Most recently Moore has served as State Department Advisor at the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island.