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New Ambassador of the United States Presents Credentials to President Mori

Palikir, Pohnpei (Dept. of Foreign Affairs): August 20, 2012 - On August 17, 2012, President Manny Mori received the letters of recall and credence from Her Excellency Dorothea-Maria Rosen as the new Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America in the FSM. Ambassador Rosen is the ninth U.S. ambassador to the FSM, succeeding Ambassador Peter A. Prahar. Accompanying the US Ambassador were Mr. William H. Barkell, Temporary DCM - US Embassy, Mr. Gary Bloom, Area-Director-USDA-Rural Development, Mr. Paul Lake, Resource Conservationist-USDA-Natural Resources, Ms. Monica Collier, Program Director-Peace Corp Micronesia and staff from the US Embassy.

Prior to Ambassador Rosen's posting to the FSM, she served as a Diplomat-in-Residence at the University of Illinois in Chicago, Deputy Principal Officer in Frankfurt, Germany and Consul-General in Bern, Switzerland. Following the ceremony's formalities, Ambassador Rosen paid a courtesy call on President Mori.

President Mori opened the discussion by welcoming and congratulating Ambassador Rosen to her new post. He expressed his appreciation to President Obama and the US Congress for the speedy replacement of the US Ambassador in the FSM which indicates the importance of the special and unique diplomatic partnership shared between the FSM and the United States. President Mori assured the new Ambassador that the FSM/US relationship remains strong. He also shared his appreciation that from the Compact agreement, FSM citizens are privileged to live, work and join the US military. President Mori affirmed his support for the new Ambassador and his anticipation of a close working relation in the implementation of the Compact and other issues of mutual interests.

Ambassador Rosen responded by thanking President Mori for accepting her credentials. She further stated that she was honored by her appointment as the new ambassador to the FSM and looked forward to working closely with the administration. She expressed optimism as she intends to sustain the relationship enjoyed between the FSM and United States over the years.

Attending the ceremony from the FSM's side were Mr. Lorin Robert, Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Churchill Edward, Chief of Staff, Ms. Evelyn Adolph, Director of SBOC and staff members from the Department of Foreign Affairs and PIO.