A career diplomat who served in a senior role at the U.S. State Department during former President Donald Trump's tenure in office, as well as during other administrations, has passed away.

Former Ambassador Tina Kaidanow, most prominently known as the first U.S. ambassador to the then-newly independent European nation of Kosovo, has died at the age of 59, according to Voice of America.

Many of her counterparts and friends in the Balkans region have now expressed their condolences over her loss.

Remembered fondly by friends and colleagues in Kosovo

The news of Kaidanow's death appears to have first been shared by Kosovo's former Interior Minister Skender Hyseni, who wrote in a Facebook post, "Tina Kaidanow, former US Ambassador to Kosovo, has passed away. With Tina I had close official cooperation and rapport. Besides that, we were also good friends."

"Ambassador Tina Kaidanow's contribution and systematic commitment to preparing Kosovo for the declaration of independence was and remains irreplaceable. Tina was a diplomat and a strong woman who loved Kosovo and its people with all her being," the former official added. "Farewell Tina. God bless you and may your soul be light! May you rest in peace! R.I.P. Ambassador Tina Kaidanow."

Kaidanow's death was also noted by Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani, who wrote in an X post, "We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Ambassador Tina Kaidanow, the first U.S. Ambassador to the independent Republic of Kosovo and an outstanding supporter of our country."

"Tina was a bold and courageous leader who played a profound role in many critical and historic events before and after Kosovo’s declaration of independence. I had the honor to work closely with her and learned a great deal from her wisdom and dedication," she added. "Our thoughts and heartfelt condolences go out to her family, friends, and colleagues as we all mourn her loss."

VOA noted that she was also remembered by Memli Krasniqi, chairman of the Democratic Party of Kosovo, who said of Kaidanow, "With her death, the USA lost a special diplomat, and Kosovo a permanent ally. Goodbye, good friend."

Lengthy and varied diplomatic career

According to Kaidanow's LinkedIn page, she was a career diplomat who worked for the U.S. government in multiple capacities for more than two decades under five different presidential administrations.

That career began in 1999 with the National Security Council in former President Bill Clinton's White House, where she served as the director of Southeast European Affairs. In 2000, she moved over to the State Department and served for three years as a special assistant to the deputy secretary for European Affairs.

Kaidanow continued to climb the diplomatic ladder during former President George W. Bush's administration, as she was the deputy chief of mission to Bosnia at the U.S. Embassy in Sarajevo from 2003-2006, followed by a stint as the chief of mission and ambassador to Kosovo at the U.S. Embassy in Pristina from 2006-2009.

She returned to Washington D.C. at the start of former President Barack Obama's administration and spent the first few years in various senior roles at the State Department's Bureau for European and Eurasian Affairs, then spent a year as the deputy ambassador to Afghanistan at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul from 2012-2013 before returning to D.C. once again to serve as an ambassador-at-large and coordinator of the State Department's counterterrorism bureau.

During former President Trump's time in office, Kaidanow served in various roles at the State Department's Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, then transferred over to the Pentagon in 2018 to work as a senior adviser to the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment."

Following a brief foray into the private sector with a strategic consulting firm, Kaidanow returned to government service in 2021 under President Joe Biden as a senior strategy adviser for the U.S. Navy and then was tasked by the State Department to oversee the transfer of detainees to other nations from the prison facility at Guantanamo Bay.