Marie C. Damour | |
---|---|
United States Ambassador to Fiji | |
Assumed office November 24, 2022 | |
President | Joe Biden |
Preceded by | Joseph Cella |
United States Ambassador to Kiribati | |
Assumed office November 30,2022 | |
President | Joe Biden |
Preceded by | Joseph Cella |
United States Ambassador to Tonga | |
Assumed office December 6,2022 | |
President | Joe Biden |
Preceded by | Joseph Cella |
United States Ambassador to Nauru | |
Assumed office February 8,2023 | |
President | Joe Biden |
Preceded by | Joseph Cella |
United States Ambassador to Tuvalu | |
Assumed office February 15,2023 | |
President | Joe Biden |
Preceded by | Joseph Cella |
United States Consul General to Ho Chi Minh City | |
In office August 2019 –August 2022 | |
President | Donald Trump Joe Biden |
Personal details | |
Nationality | American |
Education | College of William and Mary (BA) |
Marie C. Damour is an American diplomat who is the current Ambassador to Fiji, serving concurrently as the ambassador to Kiribati, Nauru, Tonga, and Tuvalu. She previously served as Consul General of the U.S. Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. [1]
Damour earned her B.A. from the College of William and Mary. [2]
Damour is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, with the rank of Minister-Counselor. Her positions within the Department of State include the Director of the Office of Maritime Southeast Asian Affairs in the State Department's Bureau of East Asia and Pacific Affairs; Director of the Office of Policy Coordination and Public Affairs in the State Department's Bureau of Consular Affairs; and the Deputy Chief of Mission, as well as Chargé d'Affaires ad interim at the U.S. Embassy in Wellington, New Zealand. [2] She also served as Minister Counselor for Consular Affairs at the U.S. Embassy in Brasilia, Brazil; the Chief of Non-Immigrant Visa Services, and then Chief of Visa Services at the U.S. Embassy in London, England; the Consular Chief at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq, and the U.S. Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
On May 25, 2022, President Joe Biden nominated Damour to be the United States Ambassador to Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Tonga and Tuvalu. [2] Hearings on her nomination were held before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on July 13, 2022. The committee favorably reported her nomination on July 19, 2022. On August 4, 2022, her nomination was confirmed by the full United States Senate via voice vote. [3] Damour presented her credentials to President of Fiji Ratu Wiliame Katonivere on November 24, 2022, [4] President of Kiribati Taneti Maamau on November 30, 2022, [5] King of Tonga Tupou VI on December 6, 2022, [6] President of Nauru Russ Kun on February 8, 2023, [7] and Governor-General of Tuvalu Tofiga Vaevalu Falani on February 15, 2023. [8]
Damour speaks French, Vietnamese, and Portuguese. [2]
The bilateral relations between the Fiji and the United States have improved significantly since Fiji's elections in September 2014, which restored a democratically elected government to Fiji for the first time since 2006. The United States had opposed Fiji's unelected government, which came to power through a military coup in December 2006.
Kiribati and the United States have diplomatic relations. Geographically, Kiribati is the closest neighboring country to the state of Hawaii.
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Judith Beth Cefkin is an American diplomat and former ambassador to five nations in Oceania. She served concurrently as the ambassador to Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Tonga, and Tuvalu, while in residence in Suva, Fiji.
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Nauru-United States relations are the bilateral relations of Nauru and the United States The U.S. has no consular or diplomatic offices in Nauru. Officers of the American Embassy in Suva, Fiji, are concurrently accredited to Nauru and make periodic visits.
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The 51st Pacific Islands Forum was a meeting of the heads of state and heads of government of the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF), which was held in Suva, Fiji from 11 to 14 July 2022. The meeting was chaired by the Prime Minister of Fiji, Frank Banimarama.
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