The United States (US) always attaches special importance to its
relations with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and
hopes the group will enjoy a stronger development in the future.
The newly-accredited US Ambassador to ASEAN, Nina Hachigian made the
statement when she presented her credentials to ASEAN Secretary
General Le Luong Minh in Jakarta, Indonesia on November 3.
Hachigian affirmed that she is willing to work closely with ASEAN
Secretariat and its member nations in a series of cooperation
programmes, including the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative
(YSEALI) and climate change.
Minh appreciated the US’s strong
engagement to the Asian Pacific region, stressing that the growing
relations between ASEAN and the US contributes significantly to creating
a favourable environment for promoting peace, stability and development
in the region.
The two officials shared the hope that the
upcoming US-ASEAN Summit and the East Asia Summit will help further the
bilateral relations.
The US became an ASEAN’s dialogue partner
in 1977. The ASEAN, founded on August 8, 1967 in Bangkok, Thailand
comprises 10 members namely Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia,
Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.-VNA