JAKARTA, Dec. 16 -- Ambassador

Mariann Ruud Hagen

today presented her letter of credence to the Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, at the ASEAN Headquarters/ASEAN Secretariat, officially assuming her post as Ambassador of the Kingdom of Norway to ASEAN.

Secretary-General Dr. Kao congratulated Ambassador Hagen on her appointment and reaffirmed the ASEAN Secretariat's commitment to working closely with her and the Royal Norwegian Embassy to further strengthen ASEAN-Norway relations, building on the momentum of the tenth anniversary of the ASEAN-Norway Sectoral Dialogue Partnership this year.

He also welcomed Norway's continued support for ASEAN Community-building through the Norway-ASEAN Regional Initiatives Programme (NARIP...