T

he US Ambassador-designate to Indonesia, Scot Marciel, and his family arrived in Jakarta on Monday and heralded a new era of cooperation, with the US already treating Indonesia as a key ally in containing China’s growing influence in the region.

Just weeks before Marciel’s arrival, US Defense Secretary Robert Gates met with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono at Merdeka Palace in Jakarta and announced that the Indonesian Army’s Special Forces could now participate in Indonesian-US military training exercises, which was the last barrier to defense cooperation between the two countries.

The announcement followed series of US gestures to elevate its relations with the world’s largest Muslim-majority country, including the declaration of a bilateral strategic and comprehensive agreement that will provide US assistance in education, science and technology, defense, climate change and democracy.

Although US President Barack Obama has yet to visit the country, other high-ranking US officials have visited Jakarta recently, highlighting the increased level of official contacts.

Marciel, whose most recent assignment was as US ambassador to ASEAN, said in an earlier statement that he and his family were delighted to be in Indonesia and that he looked forward to assuming his official duties.

“I am excited to be in this important country at this time of tremendous opportunity and promise in US-Indonesia relations... I will do my best to implement President Obama’s policies recognizing Indonesia’s key role in the region.”  

Marciel, who is expected to present his credentials to Yudhoyono immediately, said that the US admired everything that the Indonesian people had accomplished in their 65 years of independence, reiterating that the world’s largest economy wanted to be a good friend and partner in light of Indonesia’s promising future.

In Washington on Sunday, Clinton congratulated Indonesia on the 65th anniversary of its independence. “On behalf of President Obama and the people of the United States, I congratulate the Indonesian people on your 65th Independence Day this Aug. 17. On this occasion, we celebrate your country’s rich history and reaffirm the ties between our nations,” Clinton said in a press statement issued by the US State Department.