REUTERS

The Senate approved Mike Pompeo's nomination as the next secretary of state on Thursday, installing the former CIA Director as the nation's top diplomat at a time when several high stakes negotiations are underway around the globe.

The vote was 57-42, CNN reports.

The State Department confirmed soon after the vote that Pompeo is expected to travel to Brussels for the NATO Foreign Ministerial meeting on Friday.

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Read alsoCIA Director Pompeo met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un over Easter weekendPresident Donald Trump fired his first Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in a Twitter message in March. He tapped Pompeo, a former Congressman, to take the job after the two developed a close relationship during his tenure as the chief intelligence officer, during which Pompeo personally delivered the daily briefings at the White House.