At U.S.-ASEAN Center Opening Ceremony, Duckworth Reiterates Importance of Deepening Ties with Southeast Asia Allies

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) spoke at the opening ceremony of the U.S.-ASEAN Center, an initiative dedicated to building deeper habits of cooperation between the full range of U.S. departments and agencies and the countries that make up the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). In her remarks, Duckworth emphasized that shoring up this partnership involves more than just providing security support—it also means working together to take on the other unique challenges of the 21^st century that don’t recognize national borders, including climate change, artificial intelligence, international economic instability and global health crises. 

“For more than half a century now, the United States and ASEAN have learned from and leaned on each other—helping one another adapt to an era in which technology allows allies half a world away to be there for each other in half an instant,” Duckworth said. “Now, in a time when a different global crisis seems to be knocking on the door every day, that kind of mentality is as important as ever. That’s one reason why I’m so thrilled to help launch this Center, and why I look forward to continuing to work with ASEAN to bring about a safer, greener, more prosperous future for all who call our nations home.”

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