Informal Communication

Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State

On behalf of the United States of America, I congratulate the people of Guinea on the 65th anniversary of your independence.

The United States continues to stand with the people of Guinea in their aspirations for democracy. We support the Guinean people in their pursuit of the return of a democratically-elected, civilian-led government, and we reaffirm our commitment to helping achieve that goal throughout this period of transition.

On this occas

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Regions: Guinea , United States

Topics: Human Rights and Democracy

Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State

The United States is committed to supporting and advancing democracy in Liberia and around the world. Today, I am announcing a new visa restriction policy under Section 212(a)(3)C) of the Immigration and Nationality Act for those undermining democracy in Liberia. This policy will take effect in advance of the upcoming election.

Under this policy, the United States will pursue visa restrictions for those believed to be responsible for, or complicit in, u

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Topics: Human Rights and Democracy

Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State

Washington, D.C.

Benjamin Franklin Room

SECRETARY BLINKEN:  Good afternoon.  Welcome.  Welcome back to the State Department for so many of you.  Welcome to the Ben Franklin Room, newly refurbished.  A lot went into this.  And I think maybe a word about Ben Franklin before we get to today’s event.

As you all know, he was America’s first diplomat, ambassador to France, negotiated our first treaty, charted the Gulf Stream, pioneered el

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Topics: Climate and Environment, Coronavirus (COVID-19), Energy, Global Health, Human Rights and Democracy, Treaties and International Agreements

Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State

Washington, D.C.

Treaty Room

SECRETARY BLINKEN:  Well, good morning, everyone.  It’s always a great pleasure to be with my colleague and my friend Foreign Minister Pandor.  We’ve had many opportunities over the last couple of years to work closely together, quite literally around the world.  But it’s particularly gratifying to have the foreign minister here at the State Department in Washington.

South Africa is a vital an

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Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State

Washington, D.C.

SECRETARY BLINKEN:  Thank you.  Good morning, everyone.

AUDIENCE:  Good morning.

SECRETARY BLINKEN:  Dean Steinberg, Jim, thank you for the honor of joining the SAIS community to help inaugurate this truly magnificent new home.

Jim has contributed so much over his remarkable career, but his most lasting contribution is the generation of thinkers, the generation of d

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Topics: Climate and Environment, Combating Drugs and Crime, Countering Terrorism, Coronavirus (COVID-19), Economic Prosperity and Trade Policy, Energy, Global Health, Human Rights and Democracy, Refugee and Humanitarian Assistance, Science, Technology, and Innovation, The Ocean and Polar Affairs

Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State

On behalf of the United States of America, I congratulate all Eswatini on 55 years of independence. As you mark this momentous occasion, let us also celebrate the strong friendship between our two nations. We honor our progress on health, climate change adaptation, and addressing a period of unrest. This collaboration has only strengthened the relationship between the United States and Eswatini as we hope for democratic elections followed by an inclusive natio

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Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State

On behalf of the United States, I would like to congratulate the people of Gabon on the 63rd anniversary of your independence.

The United States stands ready to work directly with Gabon as it strives to diversify its economy, strengthen its maritime security, and counter illicit trafficking of its natural resources.  Our bilateral resolve to promote United States-Gabon trade, bolster Gabon’s security capacity, and further develop conservation efforts de

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Topics: Climate and Environment, Economic Prosperity and Trade Policy, Global Health, Human Rights and Democracy, The Ocean and Polar Affairs

Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State

Every August 7th, the State Department community – in Washington and at missions around the world – comes together to observe the anniversary of the U.S. Embassy bombings in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam.

We remember the 224 colleagues, friends, and loved ones, who were killed – including 12 Americans serving our country overseas, and 34 Kenyans and 10 Tanzanians who were part of our embassy family – and the more th

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Regions: Kenya

Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State

Washington, D.C.

Omni Shoreham Hotel

SECRETARY BLINKEN: Good afternoon, Mandela Fellows.

AUDIENCE: Good afternoon.

SECRETARY BLINKEN: What an incredible pleasure to join you for the first in-person Mandela Washington Fellowship Summit in four years – (applause) – and to see, to feel the incredible energy, the ingenuity, the talent in this room.

Liz, my friend, my colleague, t

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Topics: Climate and Environment, Economic Prosperity and Trade Policy, Energy, Global Health, Science, Technology, and Innovation

Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State

On behalf of the Government of the United States of America, I would like to congratulate the people of Liberia as you mark your 176th year of independence.

The United States and Liberia share a strong bond stemming from our shared history and cultural ties. We remain committed to work with Liberia and re-emphasize our shared values in democracy, human rights, economic development and the environment.

Please accept my best wishes to the people of

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Topics: Human Rights and Democracy

Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State

PRIME MINISTER HU’AKAVAMEILIKU:  (In Tongan.)

It is a great honor to warmly welcome to the Kingdom of Tonga the Secretary of State of the United States of America, Mr. Antony Blinken.  The visit today by Secretary Blinken is historic.  It is the first visit by a sitting U.S. secretary of state to Tonga.  It is the highest-level visit we have received from the United States Government in our recent history.  There is a clear indication t

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Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State

Today, the United States is designating three Malian officials who have worked closely with the Wagner Group to facilitate and expand Wagner’s presence in Mali since December 2021.  Civilian fatalities have surged by 278 percent since Wagner forces deployed to Mali in December 2021.  Many of those deaths were the result of operations conducted by Malian Armed Forces alongside members of the Wagner Group.

The United States will continue to take action ag

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Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State

On behalf of the Government of the United States of America, I congratulate the Zimbabwean people as you celebrate the 43rd anniversary of your independence.

The United States remains committed to standing with the people of Zimbabwe, as we have since your independence in 1980, to work together to promote democratic institutions, equitable economic growth, public health, and food security.

Zimbabwe has the chance to set itself on a path to promot

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Topics: Human Rights and Democracy

Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State

Brussels, Belgium

European Council Building

HIGH REPRESENTATIVE BORRELL: Good morning. Good morning. I’m very happy to welcome you, Secretary Blinken, in Brussels. We just had a very good bilateral meeting marking our great transatlantic cooperation. Now we will co-chair the EU-U.S. Energy Council, and later we will see each other also at the NATO Ministerial.

Allow me some words about our bilateral discussion.  Certainly

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Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State

Washington, DC

Dean Acheson Auditorium

SECRETARY BLINKEN:  Well, good afternoon, everyone, and welcome to the State Department and welcome to the second Summit for Democracy.

Jen, to you for your remarkable leadership at the White House Gender Policy Council; to Kat, for yours here at the State Department on Global Women’s Issues:  We could not have a better team, a more dynamic duo, leading our efforts.  And I’m gra

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Topics: Global Women's Issues, Human Rights and Democracy, Science, Technology, and Innovation

Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State

Washington, D.C.

SECRETARY BLINKEN:  Good morning, good afternoon, good evening, everyone.  Thank you all so much for joining.  It’s very good to be with friends and partners from around the world as we prepare to open the second Summit for Democracy.

In his first year in office, President Biden launched the summit to look at the future of democracy, which we see is at an inflection point.  Worldwide, we see autocrats violating human right

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Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State

Niamey, Niger

Presidential Palace

QUESTION:  Mr. Secretary, thanks very much for taking this opportunity.  We appreciate it.

SECRETARY BLINKEN:  Thanks, Shaun.  Good to be with you.

QUESTION:  Thanks.  I wanted to ask you – I understand you’re going to announce some assistance today for the Sahel, but I wanted to ask you more broadly about the Sahel strategy.  This has been a few months since the French ended th

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Topics: Arms Control and Nonproliferation, Countering Terrorism, Human Rights and Democracy

Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

U.S. Logistics Center Warehouse

SECRETARY BLINKEN:  Well, good afternoon, everyone.  We’ve had an enduring partnership when it comes to humanitarian assistance with Ethiopia, going back decades.  And it’s enduring because we’ve had periods of famine, conflict, displacement, and yet throughout we have found ways, working with extraordinary partners like World Vision, like Catholic Relief Services, to make sure we were

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Topics: Climate and Environment, Coronavirus (COVID-19), Economic Prosperity and Trade Policy, Energy, Global Health, Human Rights and Democracy, Refugee and Humanitarian Assistance

Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Addis Ababa University

SECRETARY BLINKEN:  Well, good evening, everyone.  It is great to be back in Africa, but also to make my first appearance to Ethiopia as Secretary of State.

I’m here in Ethiopia – and then on to Niger – to reaffirm the pledge that President Biden made at the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit late last year.  As he put it, the United States is “all in on Africa, and all in with Africa.”  That mea

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Office of the Spokesperson

The following is attributable to Spokesperson Ned Price:

Secretary Blinken met with the signatories of the Pretoria Cessation of Hostilities Agreement (COHA). Government of Ethiopia National Security Advisor Redwan Hussein and TPLF Spokesperson Getachew Reda shared the progress that has been achieved so far: silencing of the guns, delivery of humanitarian assistance, restoration of services as well as the disarmament of Tigrayan heavy weapons and significant withd

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Topics: Arms Control and Nonproliferation, Refugee and Humanitarian Assistance

Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

American Gibbi

SECRETARY BLINKEN:  Well, I’m really grateful to each and every one of you, not just for being here this evening but for what you’re doing every single day, which is working to protect and defend the rights of all of your fellow citizens.  For us, human rights, democracy more broadly, are pretty much the heart of our foreign policy.  And we know that the people who are really doing the work in defending

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Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State

Today I am announcing more than $331 million in new humanitarian assistance for Ethiopia in FY 2023 through the Department of State and the U.S. Agency for International Development.

This funding will provide life-saving support to those displaced and affected by conflict, drought, and food insecurity in Ethiopia. This assistance includes $12 million through the State Department Bureau of Population, Refugees, a

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Regions: Ethiopia , United States

Topics: Refugee and Humanitarian Assistance

Office of the Spokesperson

The below is attributable to Spokesperson Ned Price:

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken met with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed today to discuss a range of issues critical to the U.S.-Ethiopia relationship.

During the meeting, Secretary Blinken and Prime Minister Abiy discussed the significant progress in implementing the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement following the silencing of the guns in northern Ethio

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Regions: Ethiopia , United States

Topics: Refugee and Humanitarian Assistance

Office of the Spokesperson

The below is attributable to Spokesperson Ned Price:

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken met with Ethiopian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Demeke Mekonnen today to discuss a range of issues critical to the U.S.-Ethiopia relationship.

Secretary Blinken and Deputy Prime Minister Mekonnen discussed the implementation of the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement, which has resulted in c

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Regions: Ethiopia , United States

Topics: Human Rights and Democracy

Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State

Affairs Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Ministry of Foreign

FOREIGN MINISTER MEKONNEN:  To start off, Secretary of State, we are happy to receive you here in Addis Ababa today.  It’s our honor and a privilege to have such a meeting with this prestigious delegation.  I hope you have a (inaudible).  Thank you for coming, as it is a historic moment to strengthen and deepen our bilateral relations between our countries.  We have longstanding relations

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Regions: Ethiopia , United States