VIDEO OF THE WEEK: New US ambassador says he's ready to get to work

The U.S. ambassador to the Czech Republic has finally arrived in Prague. The country had been without an ambassador since President Joe Biden took office at the end of January 2021.

Bijan Sabet was sworn in as "Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Czech Republic" on Dec. 16, 2022, after having been nominated in August. He won’t start performing official duties until after he presents his credentials to Czech President Miloš Zeman later this month.

But Sabet has already taken to social media to introduce himself. A one-minute video on Facebook and Twitter called “Meet Ambassador Bijan Sabet” shows hands opening a box and placing photos and other personal items including a U.S.-Czech flag pin and a vintage camera on dark-wood tabletops. Sabet is an avid photographer, according to his official bio on the U.S. Embassy website.

Sabet, plus his wife, Lauren, and a dog arrive in a limo at the official residence on Ronalda Reagana Street in Prague 6. A marine then hands him the keys to Petschek Villa, as the residence is officially known. Sabet gives the marine a fist bump before he enters the residence for the seeming first time.

He calls the appointment as ambassador the “honor of a lifetime,” adding that he is eager to add a new chapter to the story of Czech and American friendship and also explore the country. He concludes the video by saying “I’m ready to work.”

This video follows closely on the heels of a recent social media post from the new British ambassador, Matthew Field, who arrived at the British Embassy in Malá Strana by tram and spoke in Czech about shared history and senses of humor. That video has racked up almost half a million views.