Newly appointed U.S. Ambassador to The Gambia Laurence Socha has arrived in Banjul to begin his tenure as the United States’ chief diplomatic representative in the country.

Ambassador Socha was welcomed upon arrival by Bernard Mendy, Director of the American Desk at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Omar Sawh, Deputy Chief of Protocol.

Socha is a career U.S. Foreign Service officer with nearly 20 years of diplomatic experience across Africa, the Americas and Europe. He has served in 12 countries across four continents.

He will lead U.S. diplomatic engagement in The Gambia and work to strengthen bilateral relations between the two countries.

In the coming days, Socha is expected to present copies of his credentials to Foreign Affairs Minister before presenting his Letter of Credence to President Adama Barrow.

Socha becomes the 22nd U.S. ambassador to The Gambia since the two countries established diplomatic relations in 1965.

The U.S. and The Gambia maintain longstanding ties centred on democratic governance, economic development, regional security and people-to-people relations.

The new ambassador said he looks forward to engaging with Gambians and working to further strengthen the partnership between the two countries.