| James Kon |
UNDER the flags of the 50 states of America, the three-day ‘Let’s Go America’, an annual public diplomacy initiative to provide accurate information on studying, doing business, travel and culture in the United States, was officially launched by US Ambassador to Brunei Darussalam Craig B Allen at the Times Square Shopping Centre yesterday.
Organised by the US Embassy in Brunei Darussalam, the annual event will feature consultations and offer registration facilities for US embassy programmes and services such as EducationUSA for information on studying in the United States, The Fullbright scholar and student programmes, the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI), eLibraryUSA for access to online publications, journals, e-books and multi-media content as well as the US visa application.
The showcase also includes US food, travel and hotel franchises as well as a musical performance, a cooking demonstration and a creative presentation.
The US ambassador in his speech highlighted the long-established relationship between the United States and Brunei.
“The United States of America and Brunei Darussalam share a long history of mutual friendship. It has been just over 170 years since a US ship – the USS Constitution – first visited Brunei in 1845. That visit was the first official opportunity for representatives of our two countries to meet in Brunei to develop mutual understanding and friendship.
Staff from the US Embassy in Brunei Darussalam speaking to the visitors regarding visa and doing business in the United States. – BAHYIAH BAKIR
“Only five years later after the first visit, Brunei Darussalam and the United States of America formally signed a Treaty of Peace, Friendship, Commerce and Navigation that is still in effect. Our two countries share a historic and robust relationship. Our people-to-people relationship is an important element of this relationship and one that contributes to grow it every year.”
On ‘Let’s Go America’, he said, “We hope to be able to share knowledge and first-hand information about the United States of America to counter any misunderstanding and deepen our ties.
“Some of the information that we will be sharing over the next three days includes US higher education opportunities, travel info, insights into doing business in the United States and visa information, apart from some cultural elements including music, food demonstrations and others.”
To kick start the event with a bang, the audience were treated to a song performance by the staff of the US embassy.
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