Prahar is the eighth U.S ambassador to the Federated States of Micronesia.
A career member of the senior foreign service, Prahar most recently served as the transnational crime officer at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow.
Previously he was the director of the Office of Asian, African and European Programs in the Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement.
Prior assignments also included tours in China, Japan, Albania, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mali and as desk officer for Rwanda.
Prahar served with the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe Mission in Kosovo in 1993 and returned to Kosovo in 1998 to assist in establishing a U.S. observer mission.
Prior to joining the U.S. Department of State, Prahar served as a linguist in the U.S. States Air Force from 1971 to 1975 with assignments in South Korea and Taiwan.
He graduated from the University of Michigan with a degree in political science.
A native of Oregon, he and his wife, Amy Kit-Ling Choi Prahar, married in 1977 when both were graduate students at International Christian University in Tokyo.
Prahar acknowledged the “mutual commitment to the values of democracy, the rule of law, and respect for human rights” of the U.S. and the FSM.
He recognized Micronesia’s unwavering support of the U.S. armed forces and, through its citizens that live, work, or study in America, its contribution to a “vibrant, multi-cultural society of which we are so proud.”
In honor of this special relationship, Prahar pledged that the U.S. Embassy in Pohnpei will be “more than a bridge between our two governments; it will also be a bridge between our peoples and societies.”
He also confirmed America’s willingness to defend the FSM against the threats posed by transnational crime, terrorism, and illegal fishing in its 1.3 million square mile Exclusive Economic Zone.
Prahar went on to identify climate change as a real threat to Micronesia’s low-lying islands.
He called the issue a “top priority of the Obama administration.”
Finally, he pledged to promote the FSM’s economic development and enhance opportunities for its citizens.
