Edgard D. Kagan, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, was most recently the Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for East Asia and Oceania at the National Security Council. Ambassador Kagan has previously served as Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. embassies in New Delhi, India and in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Deputy Assistant Secretary in the State Department’s Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, Consul General at the U.S. Consulate General in Mumbai, India, and Deputy Director of the Washington Office of the U.S. Mission to the United Nations.
Earlier in his career, he was Director of Korean Affairs and Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs. Other overseas assignments include Economic and then Political/Economic Counselor at the U.S. Embassy in Canberra, Australia, and Political Officer and then Political External Unit Chief at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, PRC. He has also served abroad in Israel, Hungary, and Cote d’Ivoire.
A recipient of the Presidential Meritorious Award and numerous other State Department performance awards, Ambassador Kagan speaks French, Mandarin Chinese, Hungarian, and some Spanish. A cum laude graduate of Yale University, he is married to Cynthia Gire. They have three children.
The mission of the Embassy of the United States of America in Kuala Lumpur is to advance and strengthen the enduring partnership between the United States and Malaysia through diplomacy, dialogue, and mutual respect. Guided by shared values of democracy, prosperity, and peace, the Embassy works to promote security cooperation, expand economic and educational opportunities, and foster greater understanding between our peoples.
We are committed to supporting American citizens in Malaysia, deepening collaboration on regional and global challenges, and encouraging innovation, sustainability, and inclusive growth. Through engagement with the Malaysian government, civil society, and the private sector, the U.S. Embassy strives to build a future defined by stability, shared progress, and a lasting friendship between our two nations.
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