US Diplomat To Visit Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia To Boost ASEAN Ties - State Dept.

US Diplomat to Visit Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia to Boost ASEAN Ties - State Dept.

Senior US diplomat Derek Chollet will fly out over the weekend to visit Thailand, Singapore and Indonesia on a five-day mission to boost ties with the three nations, all members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the State Department said on Friday

WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 15th October, 2021) Senior US diplomat Derek Chollet will fly out over the weekend to visit Thailand, Singapore and Indonesia on a five-day mission to boost ties with the three nations, all members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the State Department said on Friday.

"Counselor Derek Chollet and an interagency delegation from the State Department, the National Security Council, US Mission to the United Nations and the US Agency for International Development (USAID) will travel to Thailand, Singapore and Indonesia from October 17 to October 22," the State Department said in a media note.

The purpose of the trip is to expand cooperation with key US allies and partners in Southeast Asia, reinforce ASEAN centrality and the role ASEAN plays in regional stability, and address the crisis in Myanmar, also known as Burma, the note said.

"The Counselor and the delegation will discuss opportunities to deepen US engagement in Southeast Asia and work closely with ASEAN and its members to tackle the most pressing challenges facing the region, including a strong post-COVID-19 economic recovery (and) combating climate change," the note added.

Chollet and his colleagues will reiterate the US commitment to the people of Myanmar and emphasize the need to pressure the military regime there to cease violence, release political prisoners, and restore the country to the path of democracy, according to the note.