New US ambassador promises closeness and respect upon his arrival in El Salvador

SAN SALVADOR – The new United States ambassador to El Salvador, William Duncan, arrived in the Central American country on Thursday and, in his first intervention in the country, the diplomat promised to work closely and “respectfully” with the Salvadoran government.

“I have dedicated most of my career to relations between the United States and Latin America (…) My commitment is to work very closely and respectfully with the government of El Salvador to develop a broad agenda that promotes the values ​​we share,” he said.

The diplomat assured that one of his goals is to listen to all sectors of the country and learn first-hand what the opinions of Salvadorans are.

“I want to hear from people from all walks of life to understand their points of view and together discover more ways we can create opportunity for all,” he added.

The United States had not had an ambassador in El Salvador after the departure of former ambassador Ronald Johnson in January 2021.

The US diplomatic headquarters had remained run by business managers, including Jean Manes, the first person appointed by Biden to build bridges between Washington and the government of Nayib Bukele, but diplomatic relations were strained.

Duncan was nominated for the post of ambassador by US President Joe Biden in February.

The diplomat has 30 years of experience and was a career member of the Diplomatic Service with the rank of counseling minister, reported the US embassy in El Salvador.

He has also been a senior inspector in the Office of the Inspector General of the US Department of State and consul general in Monterrey, Mexico.

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