KOTA KINABALU: The United States recognises the Malaysian government's efforts in enhancing security in Sabah, said US ambassador to Malaysia Edgard D. Kagan.
"We also recognise that the government of Malaysia has taken very significant steps, working with, of course, the Sabah State Government and all the different parts of the security establishment, to try and improve security in Sabah.
"And I think from our standpoint, we think that's exactly the right thing to do. We're aware of the fact that there has been tremendous progress, and we think that's a very positive thing, and it's good for Sabahans.
"It's also good for Americans who come to visit, and I think it's something that helps make it more attractive for investors," he told the media during the launching of the American Green Corner at the Tanjung Aru library here last night.
Citing the recent announcement by the US Commandant of the Coast Guard on an expansion programme with the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency, Kagan said this partnership exemplifies how two countries can collaborate on matters important to Malaysians.
He added that in every meeting the US embassy has had with the federal government, there have been discussions about the South China Sea, an area of concern for Sabah and Sarawak.
"The US wants Malaysia to be able to defend its sovereignty. And what Malaysia does is Malaysia's decision.
"But I think that our view is that the things we do together help give Malaysia more tools and more expertise to defend its sovereignty in the way that it wants to."
Kagan emphasised that the US government seeks strong relations with the Sabah State Government, as it does with other state governments throughout Malaysia.
"I think that the key thing is that we need to be able to speak candidly with each other about what we want and what we're able to do. And anything that we do needs to be a genuine partnership between our two countries.
"Our premier programme, which was the English Teaching Assistant Program, was closed down because of Covid-19 at the request of the Malaysian government. I think that we recognise that there is still some interest in that. We're looking to see what we can do.
"We have existing programmes. I mean, there's a lot of exchange programmes between the United States and Malaysia that bring Americans to Malaysia, and that bring Malaysians to the United States."
Pictures by Olivia Miwil