Newly appointed U.S. ambassador to The Gambia Laurence Socha has arrived in Banjul to begin his tenure as Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy.
A statement from the embassy said Ambassador Socha arrived on Monday and was received by Bernard Mendy, Director of the American Desk at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and Gambians Abroad, and Omar Suwa, Deputy Chief of Protocol.
Socha is a career member of the U.S. Foreign Service with nearly 20 years of diplomatic experience across Africa, the Americas and Europe.
During his diplomatic career, he has represented the United States in 12 countries across four continents.
As the new U.S. envoy, Socha will lead American diplomatic engagement with The Gambia and work to strengthen relations between the two countries.
Socha becomes the 22nd U.S. ambassador to The Gambia since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries in 1965.
The U.S. Embassy said Washington and Banjul share longstanding ties and a commitment to democratic governance, economic opportunity, regional security and people-to-people relations.
The new ambassador is expected to engage with Gambian officials and communities as he begins his tenure.
The embassy said Socha looks forward to getting to know The Gambia and its people while working to strengthen the longstanding friendship and partnership between the two countries.