Informal Communication

Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State

Washington, D.C.

Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State

Doha, Qatar

Diwan Annex

PRIME MINISTER AL THANI: (Via interpreter) In the name of God the merciful, the compassionate, peace be upon you.  I am pleased to welcome His Excellency Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Doha.  We have had several meetings in the past weeks, so whether in Doha, Washington, and today we meet again in Doha.

First, I would like to inform the media that we have received a reply from Hamas with regar

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Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg

SECRETARY BLINKEN:  Well, good afternoon, everyone.  First, let me say what a pleasure it is as always to have Secretary General Stoltenberg here in Washington at the State Department.  Let me first note the drone attack yesterday by Iranian-backed militia on U.S. forces in Jordan.  It killed three of our soldiers, wounded many others. First and foremost, I’m thinking of those who lost the

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Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State

Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire

Via Translation

QUESTION:  Hello, Antony Blinken.

SECRETARY BLINKEN:  Hello.

QUESTION:  Ivory Coast shares borders with countries that are completely overwhelmed by insecurity, such as Mali and Burkina Faso.  What type of assistance does the United States propose to help Ivory Coast repel these threats?

SECRETARY BLINKEN:  Specifically,

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Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State

Davos, Switzerland

World Economic Forum

SECRETARY BLINKEN:  John, thank you very much.

(Applause.)

Thank you.  Thank you.  Good afternoon.  John, my old friend, thank you very, very much.  And as always, here, it’s particularly good to be with leaders from across government, business, civil society.  So when you think about soil, the U.S. Secretary of State is probably not the first person who comes to mind.  (Laugh

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Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State

Washington, D.C.

QUESTION:  For the latest on the conflict, we’re joined now by Secretary of State Antony Blinken.  We appreciate your time this morning, Mr. Secretary.  You had five Democratic senators send a letter to you, the Defense Secretary, the President this week calling for increased accountability for Israel’s use of American weapons.  And yet your State Department is now pushing through the sale of 13,000 rounds of tank ammunition for

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Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State

The United States is marking Human Rights Day and the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on December 10th by taking actions to promote accountability for human rights abuses and violations.  Together, the Departments of State and the Treasury today have imposed visa restrictions and sanctions on 37 individuals in 13 countries.

With today’s actions, the United States is addressing some of the most challenging and harmful forms

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Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State

Brussels, Belgium

NATO Headquarters

SECRETARY BLINKEN:  Well, good afternoon, everyone.

In March of 2021, I came here to NATO to affirm President Biden’s commitment to rebuild, to revitalize, to re-energize our core alliances and partnerships.  Indeed, they’re our greatest strategic asset: an unmatched network of alliances and partnerships.

And I did this at NATO because some back then were questioning its relevance, its capa

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Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State

New Delhi, India

Leela Palace

SECRETARY BLINKEN:  Good afternoon.  So we just had a very productive 2+2 session with Secretary of Defense Austin and our Indian counterparts.  This builds on the important visit that Prime Minister Modi made to the United States followed by President Biden’s visit here for the G20.  And we continue – India and the United States – to deepen our partnership, to deepen our collaboration on everything

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Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State

Tokyo, Japan

The Okura

SECRETARY BLINKEN:  Good evening, everyone.  We just concluded a pretty packed two days – coming at a very intense time for our countries and for the world.

I want to begin by thanking Foreign Minister Kamikawa for the very warm hospitality here in Tokyo, and to her and Prime Minister Kishida for Japan’s leadership during this historic year for the G7.

The G7 has strengthened its role as the steering co

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Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State

Dr. Geeta Rao Gupta, Ambassador-at-Large Office of Global Women’s Issues

Washington, D.C.

Benjamin Franklin Room

AMBASSADOR RAO GUPTA:  Good afternoon, and welcome to the Department of State.  My name is Geeta Rao Gupta and I serve as ambassador-at-large for global women’s issues here in the State Department.  It is my honor an

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Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State

Washington, D.C.

Benjamin Franklin Room

QUESTION:   We go now to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who is at the State Department.  Good morning to you, Mr. Secretary.

SECRETARY BLINKEN:  Good morning, Margaret.  Good to be with you.

QUESTION:  Tension is very high in the region.  Are you changing your security posture?  Are you pulling any U.S. personnel out of the area?

SECRETARY BLINKEN:  Marga

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Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State

Cairo, Egypt

Cairo East Air Base

QUESTION:  Welcome with us —

SECRETARY BLINKEN:  Thank you.

QUESTION:  — Mr.  Secretary.  Well, actually, you have, well, a very hectic regional trip that included eight countries, that started with Israel, and one of its most important aims was to support Israel.  Have you discussed with Israeli leaders the de-escalation of their military operation in Gaza?

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The Secretary of State

President Biden has appointed former Ambassador David Satterfield as the Special Envoy for Middle East Humanitarian Issues. Special Envoy Satterfield will lead U.S. diplomacy to urgently address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, including work to facilitate the provision of life-saving assistance to the most vulnerable people and promote the safety of civilians, in coordination with the United Nations and U.S. partners. He will lead a whole-of-government campaign to mitigate

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Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State

Austin, Texas

The University of Texas at Austin

MR EDGAR:  All right.  Welcome, everyone.  Please, if you haven’t already, take your seats, and we’ll begin the program shortly.  My name is Paul Edgar, and I am the interim executive director of the Clements Center for National Security.  On behalf of the Clements Center and the Strauss Center for International Security and Law, welcome to a conversation on the state of foreign aff

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Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State

Washington, D.C.

Benjamin Franklin Room

ASSISTANT SECRETARY KRITENBRINK:  Good evening, everyone.  Good evening, everyone, and welcome to the State Department and to the Benjamin Franklin Room.  Esteemed guests and friends from across the Pacific, it is my honor to welcome you tonight to our dinner program and to introduce our co-hosts, the Secretary of State Antony Blinken and the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfi

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Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State

Millennium Challenge Corporation CEO Alice Albright

iKiribati President Taneti Maamau

Washington, DC

Treaty Room

MS ALBRIGHT:  Hello.  Thank you all so much for joining us, and I thank with deep appreciation the Government of Kiribati for partnering with the Millennium Challenge Corporation.

Specifically, I want to recognize all of our friends, officials from the Government of Kiribati, who have joined us here today, i

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Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State

New York City, New York

Palace Hotel

SECRETARY BLINKEN:  Thank you, Uzra.  And I actually did not want to interrupt the important intervention that was going on.  (Laughter.)  So we can continue that, or I’m – I’ll pick it up later.  But I am so gratified to see so many colleagues here today both from governments but also from the private sector.  I think it speaks to the importance that we all attach to this effort, initiative,

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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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Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State

I welcome the appointment of Dr. Eileen C. Donahoe as the State Department’s Special Envoy and Coordinator for Digital Freedom in the Bureau of Cyberspace and Digital Policy.

The President’s appointment of Dr. Donahoe reinforces the importance of digital freedom and values-based technology governance work as Administration and Department priorities. As Special Envoy and Coordinator, Dr. Donahoe will leverage her deep technical knowledge and foreign poli

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Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State

Kyiv, Ukraine

AMBASSADOR BRINK:  It is a privilege and an honor for me to be here with you as we give a very, very warm welcome to our Secretary of State, Tony Blinken.  Thank you, Mr. Secretary.  (Applause.)

As members of Mission Kyiv, we all know the challenges and the demands of this work.  The hours are long – sometimes dangerous – and the future can seem uncertain.  But we also know why we’re here and we know why it matters.  We are h

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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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Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State

Washington, D.C.

Press Briefing Room

SECRETARY BLINKEN:  Good morning.  Good morning.

QUESTION:  Good morning.

QUESTION:  Well, barely morning.  (Laughter.)

SECRETARY BLINKEN:  Speak for yourself, Matt.

Very good to see everyone here.  Actually, I kind of hoped more of you might be on vacation by now but – (laughter) – I see we have a pretty full house

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Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State

Aspen, Colorado

Aspen Meadows Resort

MS MITCHELL:  Good morning, everyone.  It’s wonderful to be back in Aspen, and especially after such a great program all week, and most especially to be with Secretary Blinken.

SECRETARY BLINKEN:  Thank you.

MS MITCHELL:  Tony Blinken, of course, you all know, but – (applause) – I think this is your first time here since becoming Secretary.

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Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State

Karuizawa, Japan

The Prince Karuizawa

SECRETARY BLINKEN:  Good afternoon, everyone.  Let me – let me start with the situation in Sudan.  For the past 36 hours, we and our partners have been focused on how to stop the widespread fighting in Sudan between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces.  Indiscriminate military operations have resulted in significant civilian deaths and injuries, and are recklessly endangering the Su

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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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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

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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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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