US Ambassador to ASEAN, Yohannes Abraham, during an interview with the ANTARA news agency in Jakarta on May 26, 2023. (Photo: ANTARA)

During a press conference on Friday in Jakarta, Ambassador Abraham said it is in the US's national interest to see ASEAN prosperous, see it independent, and resilient.

The ambassador affirmed that the US-ASEAN partnership, which has been running for 45 years, is based on shared values and principles, such as the international system of laws, agreements, and regulations, as well as the protection of the sovereign rights of nations.

The US has been grateful to work with ASEAN to promote, defend, and enhance that rules-based international system of laws, agreements, and principles, he said, adding that the US is looking forward to finding opportunities to do so in the future.  

Abraham noted that Southeast Asia is an important and dynamic region and has a central role in supporting the stability of the Indo-Pacific. Therefore, that the US will always work with and through ASEAN to create a peaceful, prosperous, and stable region, he said.