Senior US diplomat, Hugo Yue-Ho Yon, has taken oath to become the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Republic of Maldives. He will become the first resident U.S. Ambassador based in the Maldives.
Previously, non-resident ambassadors oversaw the U.S. mission to Maldives, based in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The State Department is currently working on officially opening a permanent mission in the Maldives.
Hugo Yon is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, class of Minister-Counselor. Prior to taking oath as Ambassador, he served as Senior Advisor in the Office of the Under Secretary of Economic Growth, Energy and the Environment in the U.S. Department of State, Washington, D.C.
He is a diplomat familiar with the indo-pacific region, having previously served as Director for International Economics and Finance and as Director for India and the Subcontinent, both at the National Security Council.
Earlier Yon was assigned as the Deputy Minister Counselor for Economic Affairs at the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi, India. The State Department notes that Yon’s demonstrated leadership ability, diverse and wide-ranging background as a career diplomat and his previous work in, and on the Indian Subcontinent make him a well-qualified candidate to serve as the U.S. Ambassador to the Maldives.
Following Yon’s formal inauguration, the U.S. Department of State underscored the importance of the Maldives as a vital ally to the United States and conveyed optimism about the continued enhancement of the bilateral relationship between the two countries throughout Yon’s ambassadorial term.
