On March 23, 2017  Ambassador Pisan Manawapat attended a working lunch between ASEAN Ambassadors in Washington, D.C. and senior officials from the U.S. Government, and stressed Thailand’s strong support for ASEAN-US strategic partnership.

Ambassador Pisan underlined that it is important for ASEAN and the U.S. to strengthen cooperation and coordination across all areas of common interest, as the two sides celebrate the 40th anniversary of partnership this year. Also, ASEAN will mark the 50th anniversary of its establishment this year.

He expressed his appreciation to Under Secretary for Political Affairs Ambassador Thomas Shannon and Nation Security Council Senior Director for Asia Matt Pottinger for their strong commitment to strengthening alliances in Asia and their desire to further deepen cooperation between the U.S. and ASEAN in the years to come.

The recent meeting between Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and ASEAN Ambassadors was very important and sent a clear signal to Asia about the unwavering commitment of the U.S. to its partnership with ASEAN.

Thailand stands ready to work with the new U.S. Government toward this end, he said.

Ambassador Pisan also urged the new U.S. Government to enhance its economic engagement with ASEAN which is a large market for U.S. trade and investment. He also spoke about increasing investment from ASEAN countries into the U.S., which has created jobs for people in many states across the U.S.