Bangkok, Thailand (January 25, 2010) – The United States took a major step towards establishing a Permanent Mission to ASEAN with the arrival of its first officer, Mr. Josh Cartin, on January 20, 2010.
According to the U.S. Embassy in Bangkok, Mr. Cartin in his capacity as Resident Representative of the U.S. Ambassador for ASEAN Affairs is responsible for coordinating with the ASEAN Secretariat, the Government of Indonesia, and others to prepare for the arrival of a resident U.S. Ambassador and the formal establishment of the permanent U.S. Mission to ASEAN.
U.S. Secretary of State Hilary Rodham Clinton announced U.S. plans to open a Permanent Mission to ASEAN in her meeting with Foreign Ministers last July. At the landmark first ASEAN – U.S. Leaders’ Meeting in November, President Barack Obama announced his expectation that a resident U.S. Ambassador be in place by the middle of this year.
The Embassy adds that the establishment of the U.S. Permanent Mission to ASEAN underscores the importance the United States places on its engagement with Southeast Asia’s nations and U.S. recognition of ASEAN as a crucial economic and security institution in the Asia-Pacific region.
The new Mission will enhance U.S. engagement with the region on the basis of shared goals and values, and work to advance our common interests with the ASEAN organization and all of its member countries.
