US State Dept Counselor travels to Asia for talks on stability, maritime order

Washington [US], December 8 (ANI/Sputnik): The US State Department said in a statement on Wednesday that Counselor Derek Chollet will travel to Cambodia and Indonesia on December 8-13 to hold discussions on key regional issues, including the burgeoning crisis in Myanmar, the State.
"Counselor Chollet's trip will reinforce ASEAN centrality and the role ASEAN plays in regional stability, economic growth, and preserving the rules-based maritime order, especially in the South China Sea," the statement said.
In Phnom Penh, the Counselor will discuss Cambodia's upcoming chairmanship of ASEAN and will also reinforce the United States' support for civil society and the Cambodian people, the release said.
While in Jakarta, Chollet will concentrate on expanding the US-Indonesia strategic partnership and then join the secretary as he travels to Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand, the release added.
Throughout the trip, Chollet will underscore the importance of strengthening US-ASEAN cooperation as a way to press the Myanmar military regime to end the violence; free every who has been detained without cause; allow humanitarian access to occur without interference; and reestablish Myanmar's path to an inclusive democracy, according to the release. (ANI/Sputnik)