Counselor Shannon will represent the United States as a dialogue partner at the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) ministerial in Perth, Australia. At the ministerial Counselor Shannon will meet with a broad range of ministers from IORA member states. South and Central Affairs Bureau Deputy Assistant Secretary Atul Keshap will accompany the Counselor for IORA.
Counselor Shannon also will travel to Vietnam for meetings with government and party representatives in a visit that follows up on Secretary Kerry’s December 2013 visit to the Mekong River. In Laos, he will meet with government and party representatives to discuss the Lower Mekong Initiative and the forthcoming Extraordinary Friends of the Lower Mekong meeting.