U.S. Department of State Weekly Digest Bulletin

Secretary Blinken’s Trip to the United Kingdom, Ireland, Vietnam, and Japan
04/10/2023


Secretary Blinken’s Trip to the United Kingdom, Ireland, Vietnam, and Japan
04/10/2023 09:35 AM EDT



Vedant Patel, Principal Deputy Spokesperson

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken will travel to the United Kingdom, Ireland, Vietnam, and Japan, April 11-18, 2023.

Secretary Blinken will travel to Hanoi, Vietnam to advance key discussions with our Vietnamese partners as we celebrate the 10th anniversary of our Comprehensive Partnership. The Secretary will meet with senior Vietnamese officials to discuss our shared vision of a connected, prosperous, peaceful, and resilient Indo-Pacific region.

Secretary Blinken will then travel to Karuizawa, Japan to attend the G7 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting and discuss with his counterparts charting a path forward on a range of global issues, including Russia’s continued war against Ukraine, nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation, food and energy security, and advancing an affirmative vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific.

In advance of the Secretary’s trip to Asia, he will accompany President Biden on his trip to the United Kingdom and Ireland from April 11-14.


Under Secretary Zeya’s Travel to Slovakia and France April 11-14, 2023
04/10/2023

Under Secretary Zeya’s Travel to Slovakia and France April 11-14, 2023
04/10/2023 03:01 PM EDT



Office of the Spokesperson

Under Secretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights Uzra Zeya will travel April 11-14, 2023 to Bratislava, Slovakia and Paris, France.

In Slovakia from April 11-12, Under Secretary Zeya will meet with senior Slovak government officials to advance partnership and friendship between the United States and Slovakia, including steadfast U.S. support for Slovakia as it stands with Ukraine, as the United States and Slovakia celebrate 30 years of bilateral relations. She will also attend the inaugural embassy-hosted interfaith iftar dinner in observance of Ramadan; visit the Jan Kuciak Memorial; and meet with civil society leaders. Finally, she will visit the Bottova Registration Center, a Ukrainian refugee registration center operated by the city of Bratislava in partnership with local humanitarian organizations who receive support from partners funded by the United States. Since February 2022, the United States has provided nearly $22 million to support the Ukraine humanitarian response in Slovakia.

In France from April 12-14, Under Secretary Zeya will meet with senior French officials from the Presidency and the Ministry of External and European Affairs to deepen cooperation on shared global challenges with America’s oldest ally. She will also meet with civil society leaders and speak at a training workshop for first- and second-tour Foreign Service officers posted in Europe.


Russia’s Wrongful Detention of Journalist Evan Gershkovich
04/10/2023

Russia’s Wrongful Detention of Journalist Evan Gershkovich
04/10/2023 04:28 PM EDT



Vedant Patel, Principal Deputy Spokesperson

Today, Secretary Blinken made a determination that Evan Gershkovich is wrongfully detained by Russia.

Journalism is not a crime. We condemn the Kremlin’s continued repression of independent voices in Russia, and its ongoing war against the truth.

The U.S. government will provide all appropriate support to Mr. Gershkovich and his family. We call for the Russian Federation to immediately release Mr. Gershkovich.

We also call on Russia to release wrongfully detained U.S. citizen Paul Whelan.




Ad Hoc Committee to Elaborate a UN Cybercrime Convention Fifth Negotiating Session at the United Nations in Vienna
04/11/2023

Ad Hoc Committee to Elaborate a UN Cybercrime Convention Fifth Negotiating Session at the United Nations in Vienna
04/11/2023 09:14 AM EDT



Office of the Spokesperson

The fifth negotiating session of the Ad Hoc Committee (AHC) to elaborate a UN cybercrime convention will convene at the United Nations in Vienna, Austria from April 11–21. This session will entail negotiations on the proposed chapters of the draft convention covering international cooperation, technical assistance, preventative measures, mechanism of implementation, final provisions, and the preamble. Ambassador (ret.) Deborah McCarthy, the U.S. Lead Negotiator for the AHC, will serve as the head of the U.S. delegation, which includes officials from the Departments of State and Justice.

The United States continues to seek consensus towards the adoption of a narrowly focused criminal justice instrument which advances international cooperation to fight cybercrime, while respecting human rights and supporting multi-stakeholder engagement.

For further information, please e-mail INL-PAPD@state.gov or follow INL on Twitter at @StateINL. Further details about AHC are available at https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/cybercrime/ad_hoc_committee/home.




Special Representative for Afghanistan West’s April 11 – 18 Travel to Qatar, UAE, Istanbul
04/11/2023
Special Representative for Afghanistan West’s April 11 – 18 Travel to Qatar, UAE, Istanbul
04/11/2023 12:45 PM EDT



In Doha, Special Representative for Afghanistan (SRA) Thomas West will meet with Qatari colleagues, Afghan civil society leaders, and partner missions. In the UAE, SRA West will meet with Emirati counterparts, Afghan business and thought leaders. In Istanbul, he will hold consultations with Afghan political leaders, journalists, humanitarian professionals and human rights activists.

SRA West is conducting outreach in the region to secure input as the international community seeks solutions to Afghanistan’s compounding challenges, made worse by the Taliban’s recent decisions to limit women’s participation in humanitarian operations and ban them from their vital work for the UN.




Secretary Blinken’s Call with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Kuleba
04/11/2023


Secretary Blinken’s Call with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Kuleba
04/11/2023 08:17 PM EDT



Office of the Spokesperson

The below is attributable to Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel:

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken spoke today with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba. The two discussed ongoing preparations for Ukraine’s spring counteroffensive, including security assistance pledges from allies and partners. Secretary Blinken underscored Ukraine’s success as vital to peace and security in Europe, and reiterated the United States’ commitment to stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes.


Further Curbing Russia’s Efforts to Evade Sanctions and Perpetuate its War Against Ukraine
04/12/2023

Further Curbing Russia’s Efforts to Evade Sanctions and Perpetuate its War Against Ukraine
04/12/2023 10:49 AM EDT



Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State

Today, the Department of State and the Department of Treasury are imposing sanctions on more than 120 entities and individuals across more than 20 countries and jurisdictions in connection with the Russian Federation’s unlawful and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, including facilitators of sanctions evasion.

More than one year into Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, the effects of our globally coordinated sanctions have forced the Russian Federation to search for alternate routes to finance and fuel its war machine. In coordination with the United Kingdom, we are targeting sanctions evasion network supporting one of Russia’s wealthiest billionaires, Alisher Usmanov, who was sanctioned by the United States last year. In addition to the Usmanov-linked evasion network we are also targeting USM Holding, the primary entity through which Usmanov owns and controls the majority of his companies.

Additionally, the Department of State is sanctioning two Russian entities that support Russia’s efforts to undermine the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine through the militarization and indoctrination of schoolchildren: The All Russian Children’s and Youth Military Patriotic Public Movement Youth Army, and the State Budgetary Educational Institution of Additional Education of the Republic of Crimea Crimea Patriot Center.

Today’s action also includes the designation of several entities operating in the defense sector of Russia’s economy and entities supporting Russia’s war against Ukraine, including a new Russian private military company and a People’s Republic of China (PRC) based firm that has provided satellite imagery of locations in Ukraine to entities affiliated with the Wagner private military company that is fighting in Ukraine on Putin’s behalf.

Finally, we are designating additional persons associated with the Russian State Atomic Energy Corporation, Rosatom. Russia uses energy exports, including in the nuclear sector, to exert political and economic pressure on its customers globally.

The United States will continue to take action against Russia and those supporting its war in Ukraine, including further implementing the G7’s commitment to impose severe consequences on third country actors who support Russia’s war in Ukraine.

For more information on today’s action, please see the Department of State’s fact sheet, the Department of the Treasury’s press release.




Building a Future Ukraine in Partnership with the Private Sector
04/14/2023

Building a Future Ukraine in Partnership with the Private Sector
04/14/2023 07:29 PM EDT



Office of the Spokesperson

Under Secretary of State Victoria Nuland said in her keynote address at the U.S.-Ukraine Partnership Forum on Thursday that “support for Ukraine is an investment in our own security and our own prosperity and the world that we and our children want to live in.” That’s why the Department of State, USAID, the Department of Commerce, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with the Government of Ukraine, hosted the U.S.-Ukraine Partnership Forum on April 13 to help ensure that Ukraine has the necessary resources to build a peaceful, secure, and stable future. The Forum brought together senior business executives, government officials, civil society, philanthropies, and other thought leaders to discuss needs and opportunities to redevelop and revitalize Ukraine and its economy following Russia’s brutal, full-scale invasion.

A successful effort to rejuvenate Ukraine’s economy will be an enormous and challenging undertaking that will require multi-year engagement and international coordination, not just by governments but also with the private sector. The Ukrainian government has published a 10-year reconstruction plan that encompasses 850 wide-ranging projects requiring an estimated $750 billion, while the World Bank in its latest report estimates reconstruction costs of $411 billion over the next 10 years.

The United States has provided $18 billion in budget support to the Government of Ukraine through World Bank mechanisms. An additional $4.9 billion will become available in September. This funding, along with support from the EU, the IMF and others, allows the government to provide critical services for its citizens while fighting Russia’s brutal aggression.

However, the scale of financing required for reconstruction can only be met by working closely with the private sector to spur investment. As Under Secretary of State Jose Fernandez said during his remarks at the Forum, “The need for the bold and original ideas of the private sector will be more important in Ukraine than ever before.” Ukraine’s success must be underpinned by needed reforms that focus on good governance, rule of law, and anti-corruption efforts, which will support Ukraine’s eventual EU accession and improve Ukraine’s investment climate.

For media inquiries or further information on public-private partnerships, please contact the Office of Global Partnerships at Partnerships@state.gov. For inquiries from the U.S. business community, please reach out to the Office of Commercial and Business Affairs at eb-cba-all@state.gov.

Stay updated on what the Department of State is doing for Ukraine by visiting: https://www.state.gov/united-with-ukraine/. Watch the entire forum at: https://www.youtube.com/@StateDept/streams.




Secretary Antony J. Blinken And German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock Before Their Meeting
04/17/2023

Secretary Antony J. Blinken And German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock Before Their Meeting
04/17/2023 03:28 AM EDT



Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State

Japan

The Prince Karuizawa

SECRETARY BLINKEN: Good afternoon. Well, it’s not as if the foreign minister and I haven’t been spending enough time together over the last day but really value this opportunity to compare notes directly on many of the issues that we were just discussing with our G7 colleagues, to include, of course, the situation in Ukraine and the Russian aggression, but also the very broad global agenda that both Germany and the United States have, including the efforts that we’re making around the world to address the concerns of people around the world, whether that’s food security, energy security, climate change, trying to build inclusive, growing economies.

So we’ve had, I think, very good discussions with our G7 colleagues. We’ve got more to come this afternoon and tomorrow. But it’s always a pleasure to be with the foreign minister.

FOREIGN MINISTER BAERBOCK: Well, yeah, same for me. I can just echo what Secretary Blinken just said. Our dear friend, last year we were having the G7 presidency. We met 10 times, so intensive discussions today, but it was also for us so fortunate to have this G7 format as Europeans, because obviously it includes the U.S., it includes also Japan to underline their support for the European peace order.

So thank you again also for your support for the G7 presidency last year, and we see here also in Japan how important it is that we work together as one of the biggest economies worldwide who also believe in the international rules-based order, because also for this region here, it’s of high importance that we stand together for those who are defending the Charter of the United Nations. And on top of that, we also do have some bilateral topics where we are intensifying our work, so thank you very much for this exchange.




Secretary Antony J. Blinken And UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly On the Situation in Sudan
04/17/2023
Secretary Antony J. Blinken And UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly On the Situation in Sudan
04/17/2023 03:17 AM EDT



Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State

Japan

The Prince Karuizawa

SECRETARY BLINKEN: Good afternoon, everyone. It’s great to be here with my friend and colleague, Foreign Secretary Cleverly. We have been consulting very closely on the situation in Sudan. We’ve also been in close touch with partners in the Arab world, in Africa, in international organizations. There is a shared deep concern about the fighting, the violence that’s going on in Sudan; the threat that that poses to civilians, that it poses to the Sudanese nation, and potentially poses even to the region.

There is also a very strongly shared view about the need for Generals Burhan and Hemeti to ensure the protection of civilians and noncombatants as well as people from third countries, including our personnel who are located in Sudan; and also a strongly held view – again, across all of our partners – on the need for an immediate ceasefire and a return to talks, talks that were very promising in putting Sudan on the path to a full transition to civilian-led government.

People in Sudan want the military back in the barracks. They want democracy. They want civilian-led government. Sudan needs to return to that path.

For our part, we’ve also been closely in touch, of course, with our own embassy to make sure that our personnel is safe and accounted for, which is the case. And we’re also closely in touch with any American citizens in Sudan to make sure that those who are registered with the embassy and that we’re actually in contact with get all the information they can about how to remain safe and secure.

James.

FOREIGN SECRETARY CLEVERLY: Secretary Blinken, thank you. Obviously, early on today we have had discussions about the situation in Sudan. We have – the UK has been in contact with our friends in the Arab region and we’ll continue to do so. But I echo the points that have been made already by Secretary Blinken that we call upon an immediate cessation of violence, a return to the talks, talks which seem to be heading in the direction of civilian government, and of course, that is the ultimate desired outcome. And we will continue working both with our close friend, the United States of America, and our friends in Africa and the wider Arab world to bring about that move towards peace and a civilian democracy.

Obviously, from the UK’s Government point of view, our first priority is the protection of British nationals. We have previously changed travel advice and advised against travel to Sudan. I’ve ensured that the British officials at the embassy in Khartoum are safe and accounted for, and we will continue to provide what support we can to British nationals in Sudan.

But ultimately, the immediate future lies in the hands of the generals who are engaged in this fight, and we call upon them to put peace first, to bring an end to the fighting, to get back to negotiations. That’s what the people of Sudan want, that’s what the people of Sudan deserve, and we will continue to seek ways to support that road back to peace.




Politically Motivated Conviction of Vladimir Kara-Murza
04/17/2023



Politically Motivated Conviction of Vladimir Kara-Murza
04/17/2023 08:31 AM EDT



Vedant Patel, Principal Deputy Spokesperson

The United States condemns the sentencing of Vladimir Kara-Murza to 25 years in prison for speaking out against the Russian government’s war of aggression against Ukraine.

Mr. Kara-Murza is yet another target of the Russian government’s escalating campaign of repression.  We renew our call for Mr. Kara-Murza’s release, as well as the release of the more than 400 political prisoners in Russia.

We reaffirm our solidarity with Mr. Kara-Murza and all brave advocates of a brighter future for Russia who are held unjustly, including Aleksey Navalny, Ilya Yashin, and many others who serve their country and their fellow citizens at great personal cost by boldly standing up for human rights and fundamental freedoms.  We join their families, friends, and supporters in Russia and around the world in demanding their immediate release.


Secretary Blinken’s Meeting with German Foreign Minister Baerbock
04/17/2023
Secretary Blinken’s Meeting with German Foreign Minister Baerbock
04/17/2023 09:46 AM EDT



Office of the Spokesperson

The following is attributable to Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel:

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken met today with German Minister of Foreign Affairs Annalena Baerbock on the margins of the G7 Foreign Ministers Meeting. The Secretary thanked Foreign Minister Baerbock for Germany’s continued contributions to Ukraine, including financial, security, and humanitarian assistance. They also discussed the shared challenges posed by the People’s Republic of China and ways that the US and Germany can further address the issues such as food security, energy security and climate change.


Secretary Blinken’s Meeting with French Foreign Minister Colonna
04/17/2023

Secretary Blinken’s Meeting with French Foreign Minister Colonna
04/17/2023 10:00 AM EDT



Office of the Spokesperson

The following is attributable to Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel:

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken met with French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna on the margins of the G-7 Ministerial meeting. The Secretary and the Foreign Minister discussed shared concerns over the People’s Republic of China, and the shared objectives of peace, stability, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific and beyond. They also reiterated their support for Ukraine in the face of Russia’s unprovoked and brutal war.


Secretary Blinken’s Meeting with Japanese Foreign Minister Hayashi
04/17/2023

Secretary Blinken’s Meeting with Japanese Foreign Minister Hayashi
04/17/2023 10:05 AM EDT



Office of the Spokesperson

The following is attributable to Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel:

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken met today with Japanese Minister for Foreign Affairs Hayashi Yoshimasa on the sidelines of the G7 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting. Secretary Blinken and Foreign Minister Hayashi discussed their enduring support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, as Ukraine defends itself against Russia’s war of aggression. The Secretary reaffirmed the vital importance of the G7 and the ironclad U.S.-Japan Alliance in promoting peace, security, and prosperity globally. Secretary Blinken congratulated Foreign Minister Hayashi for the recent progress on Japan-ROK bilateral relations, and they both emphasized the importance of U.S.-Japan-ROK trilateral cooperation to maintain a free and prosperous Indo-Pacific region. The Secretary also congratulated the Foreign Minister on Japan’s G7 Presidency and is looking forward to the G7 Leaders Summit in Hiroshima.


Secretary Antony J. Blinken and French Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs Catherine Colonna Before Their Meeting
04/17/2023
Secretary Antony J. Blinken and French Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs Catherine Colonna Before Their Meeting
04/17/2023 10:45 AM EDT



Karuizawa, Japan

The Prince Karuizawa

SECRETARY BLINKEN: Well, good evening, everyone. I think the most – among the most significant developments of the last few days is the fact that the minister and I celebrated our birthdays on the same day. So we’ve both been dealing with an abundance of celebration and cake from our counterparts, but we’re also dealing with – having covered the waterfront in the G7 already – virtually every part of the world – the very strong convergence of views, of course, between us and also among our G7 partners, on the approach to take to a series of very, very challenging issues. And the work that the United States and France have been doing together, as well as the work we’re doing within the G7 and in other organizations, is making, I think, a very profound difference in our ability to actually achieve results. But here again, the last day has only reinforced the convergence of views that we have on the approach to the most important issues of the day, and I look forward to pursuing the conversation.

FOREIGN MINISTER COLONNA: Thank you so much, Tony. Good evening, everyone. I do confirm that yesterday was an important day for both of us and for the G7 (inaudible) because we had an interesting, sincere, direct, and useful discussion on a series of issues. France and the U.S. are good allies, strong allies, organized, and it’s my pleasure to have another conversation with Secretary Blinken. We covered already a lot of ground, got so many challenges we’re facing today – too many tensions clearly and a much needed cooperation between the G7 countries and beyond. So we try to work on that very positive outcome so far. We’re united. We’re giving clearly the same signal to the rest of the world that any situation that requires that the respect of international law is a precondition to the rest. This is – will, I hope, will be one of the outcome of this G7 meeting. Thank you.




Senior Official for Global Women’s Issues Fotovat Travels to the United Kingdom
04/17/2023
Senior Official for Global Women’s Issues Fotovat Travels to the United Kingdom
04/17/2023 06:49 PM EDT



Office of the Spokesperson

Senior Official to the Secretary of State in the Office of Global Women’s Issues Katrina Fotovat will visit Belfast from April 16–19. Senior Official Fotovat will engage with a wide range of stakeholders including government officials, civil society, women entrepreneurs, and youth on women’s economic security; and Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) issues. Her trip follows President Biden’s and Secretary Blinken’s travel to Belfast on April 11–12 to mark the 25th anniversary of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement and underscores U.S. support for advancing economic prosperity in Northern Ireland.

On April 18 in Belfast, Senior Official Fotovat will join women business leaders at the “Women in Business – International Voice of Leadership” Conference, highlighting the importance of women’s leadership and women’s economic security in Northern Ireland and across the globe. Later that day, she will speak on the importance of women’s and youth voices in peace and security decision-making at a panel for students and young people on “What Peace Means to Me,” an event organized by Politics in Action as part of Queen’s University Belfast’s Agreement 25 Conference.


Secretary Antony J. Blinken At a Press Availability
04/18/2023

Secretary Antony J. Blinken At a Press Availability
04/18/2023 04:11 AM EDT



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 Sudanese people, diplomats including U.S. personnel, and humanitarian aid workers.

This morning, I made calls to Generals Burhan and Hemedti, urging them to agree to a 24-hour ceasefire to allow Sudanese to safely reunite with their families and to obtain desperately needed relief supplies.

I also underscored in both calls the responsibilities that Sudanese fighting forces bear for ensuring the safety and security of U.S. and other diplomats who are resident in Sudan, as well as for UN staff and other humanitarian partners. If implemented successfully, a ceasefire for 24 hours can create a foundation to build upon for a more sustained halt to the fighting and a return to negotiations on a durable end to the hostilities.

The people of Sudan have made clear their democratic aspirations. After months of talks, they were close to restoring a civilian-led government. We remain committed to helping them achieve that goal. At the same time, we will take all appropriate measures to ensure the safety of our people.

Now, we just finished up a marathon couple of days, during which the G7 foreign ministers came together to address some of the most consequential issues confronting our countries and people all over the world.

I want to thank our Japanese hosts and especially my friend Foreign Minister Hayashi for the warm hospitality and for his leadership.

Together, we have strengthened the centrality of the G7 as the steering committee of the world’s advanced industrial democracies, and deepened ties with other countries around the world. And together, we emerge from this ministerial more globally engaged than ever.

A major theme of this G7 was how our nations can leverage our strengths to work with our partners to deliver better futures for people around the world, to focus on the issues of most concern to them in their daily lives. And this means combining our political and economic muscle and our development dollars, yen, euros, and pounds to support countries on every continent in meeting their food, energy, climate, infrastructure, and technology challenges.

It means shaping a more inclusive international system – including with UN reform, making the international financial system more responsive to the actual needs of countries, and finding new formats for consultation that welcome more voices. It means offering more countries better, more sustainable, and more equitable ways to prosper, while respecting their sovereignty. From Central Asia to the Pacific Islands to Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East, our goal is to offer leaders and citizens better choices – free from coercion, unsustainable debt, and malign influence.

We also discussed a range of challenges to our shared vision for a free, open, secure, and prosperous international system. The most immediate challenge, of course, is Russia’s ongoing war of aggression against Ukraine.

Yesterday, we recommitted to Ukraine: with the security and economic support that it needs today to defend its sovereignty and people, and for the long term to ensure that Ukraine doesn’t just survive, that it thrives – and that Russia is deterred from further aggression.

This includes continuing to tighten sanctions and export controls, putting that pressure on Russia to limit its ability to wage its war, cracking down on sanctions evaders wherever they hide, rejecting Moscow’s nuclear blackmail, and ensuring accountability for war crimes.

The G7 from the get-go has led the world in galvanizing and sustaining support for Ukraine. Now, as Ukraine prepares to launch a counteroffensive to take back its land, to liberate its people in occupied territories, to stop the missiles, bombs, and drones which continue to rain down daily on its civilians, we stand with Ukraine.

And when the inevitable voices, led by a Russia that is losing its war of conquest, talk about avoiding escalation or call for Ukraine to stop reclaiming its own territory, we will remind the world who is the aggressor and who is the victim – who has 20 percent of its land occupied by enemy forces; whose children are being disappeared, and whose civilians are being killed and left in mass graves.

At the same time, Russia is again blocking Ukraine’s grain from reaching the world, spiking food prices for people everywhere. For the last few days, no ships have gotten out of Ukraine, and more than 50 have been blocked from going in to load up. Countries around the world depend on this life-saving grain. Russia is breaking its promises to them.

We also discussed China. All of our nations have consequential relationships with Beijing, and a number of G7 colleagues have recently visited. What struck me in hearing the readouts of those conversations is that we are resolved and united in the need for candid discussions with Beijing about its unfair trade practices, its actions that undermine the international rules that all nations benefit from, and the risks if it breaks its word and starts arming Russia. And of course we’re united in making clear to Beijing our opposition to unilateral changes to the status quo with Taiwan.

We’re also equally committed, individually and collectively, to constructively engaging with Beijing if it chooses to contribute its efforts – to efforts to address shared global challenges. That is what the world expects of responsible powers.

At this ministerial, we also focused on nuclear proliferation. I’m grateful to Japan for the high priority that it has placed on countering nuclear threats – including from the DPRK’s dangerous ballistic missile launches; Iran’s expansion of its nuclear activities, including the operation of advanced centrifuges and the accumulation of highly enriched uranium, for which it has no credible civilian explanation or purpose; Russia’s New START suspension and irresponsible nuclear rhetoric; and the PRC’s opaque and rapid build-up of its own nuclear arsenal. These actions only strengthen our determination to address nuclear dangers.

We’re also focused on the threat posed by synthetic opioids. Our communique speaks to our collective commitment to developing and implementing solutions to this crisis, and we will continue to cooperate closely – indeed, we will strengthen that cooperation – addressing illicit financing, disrupting trafficking networks, supporting public health responses, and more.

So it’s been a very productive and important few days which lay the groundwork for the Leaders Summit in Hiroshima in a month’s time. And I commend to you the joint statement that we issued, or will soon issue, reflecting the work that we’ve done.

With that, happy to take some questions.

MR PATEL: All right, we’ll take four questions. First, Nike Ching from Voice of America.

SECRETARY BLINKEN: Nike, how are you?

QUESTION: (Inaudible.) Thanks for the press conference. On Sudan, can you provide more details on reports that a U.S. embassy vehicle was targeted in Khartoum, which means (inaudible) divided? And what’s your plan to ensure the safety and security of U.S. citizens and diplomats? Is there a plan to evacuate the embassy there given the newest developments? And if I may, do you support the calls from some senators to sanction generals of the two fighting military factions?

And finally, if I may, on Wall Street Journal reporter. Do you have more details on Ambassador Lynne Tracy’s access to Evan Gershkovich given reports that a Moscow court is scheduled on Tuesday to hear an appeal on his case?

Thank you.

SECRETARY BLINKEN: Good. Thank you very much. With regard to Sudan, look, I’m limited in terms of the details and what I can get into from here, but I can confirm that yesterday we had an American diplomatic convoy that was fired on. All of our people are safe and unharmed. But this action was reckless, it was irresponsible, and of course unsafe – a diplomatic convoy with diplomatic plates, a U.S. flag, being fired upon.

In the calls that I had this morning with Generals Hemedti and Burhan, I made very clear that any attacks, threats, dangers posed to our diplomats were totally unacceptable. This particular incident is still being investigated in terms of understanding exactly what happened. The initial reports that we have is that it was undertaken by forces associated with the RSF, and again, I made very clear in my conversation with General Hemedti that any attacks that endanger our diplomats are totally unacceptable, and I shared the same with General Burhan.

We have deep concerns, of course, about the overall security environment as it affects civilians, as it affects diplomats, as it affects aid workers. World Food Program had to suspend its operations; three of its people were killed. That potentially has terrible consequences for the Sudanese people, who are in desperate need of the assistance provided by the World Food Program. That only underscores the imperative of getting a ceasefire and putting Sudan back on the track that it was on, which was talks and negotiations toward the restoration of a civilian-led government.

We will continue to track this very closely and very carefully. My number one priority, of course, is the safety and security of our personnel. I’m in very close contact with – as is my entire team – with Ambassador John Godfrey and our entire team in Khartoum. Again, I won’t go into any details except to say that we are and will continue to take every responsible measure to make sure that our people are safe and secure.

We’re also in very close coordination with other countries that have influence in Sudan. I’ve been on the phone with counterparts from the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom, to make sure that we’re coordinating carefully. Our team as well has been in very close contact with the African Union, with other international organizations – again, to make sure that everyone is coordinated and that we are channeling the shared determination among the international community to get to a ceasefire as quickly as possible and to put Sudan back on the track of talks, negotiations, again, to restore civilian-led government in Sudan.

But first things first, the imperative is getting quickly to a ceasefire so that the guns stop firing, people can move about safely, reunite with their families, get the assistance they need, and all of us can continue to engage in supporting Sudan as it makes its transition.

With regard to Evan Gershkovich, yes, Ambassador Tracy and our chief consular officer were able to see Evan in prison in Moscow. I can report, based on what Ambassador Tracy has said, that he is in good health and good spirits considering the – considering the circumstances. We continue to call for his immediate release from this unjust detention.

MR PATEL: We’ll next go to Tetsuo Shintomi with Kyodo News.

QUESTION: Thank you, Secretary Blinken. I would like to ask on the nuclear disarmament and nonproliferation, which is of big interest among Japanese people. As you know, Japanese Prime Minister Kishida has expressed his hope to discuss on a world without nuclear weapons at coming G7 Leaders Summit. As you are wrapping up foreign ministers meeting here in Karuizawa, do you feel any tangible progress toward that end? And how do you think about the possibility of a world without – achieving a world without nuclear weapons despite all these challenges?

And in addition, if I may, many local people in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, including a Hibakusha, which is an atomic bomb survivor, are looking forward to a U.S. leader’s visit to Hiroshima in May. So I’m wondering if you had any message to them.

Thank you very much.

SECRETARY BLINKEN: Thank you very much. First, I should tell you that we had – during this G7 meeting we had dedicated sessions on specific issues, the most important issues on our agenda. And the final session that we had, dedicated session, was on arms control and nonproliferation, which in and of itself underscores the importance that the G7 attaches to it. And I have to praise Japan’s leadership, as always, on this issue.

We, as G7 countries, are committed to maintaining and strengthening disarmament and nonproliferation efforts toward a more secure, stable, and safer world. We’ll be convening, as you noted, at a leaders level in Hiroshima, which together with Nagasaki offers the most powerful reminder of the unprecedented devastation and immense human suffering that the people of Japan experienced as a result of the atomic bombings in 1945.

The overall decline in global nuclear arsenals has to continue and must not be reversed. If you look at the trajectory from the onset of the Cold War through to today, we’ve seen that overall decline. And that can and should be achieved through a realistic, pragmatic, and responsible approach to arms control and nonproliferation.

Having said that, we also see some very significant challenges not just on the horizon but fully present, and we have to continue to work collectively to counter these challenges: Russia’s suspension of the New START agreement, irresponsible nuclear rhetoric; the DPRK’s dangerous ballistic missile launches and further development of its own nuclear program; Iran’s expansion of its nuclear activities; and China’s pursuit in a very opaque way of a rapid nuclear arsenal buildup.

So based on our conversations today, I can tell you that these actions only strengthen our determination to address nuclear dangers, and it’s particularly why I’m grateful to Japan for the high priority it’s placed on this topic under its G7 presidency.

I can also tell you that the President very much looks forward to being in Japan for the G7 leaders and in Hiroshima specifically, and I know he’ll have much more to say when he’s here, but it’s something that he’s very focused on and looks very much forward to.

MR PATEL: We’ll next go to Iain Marlow with Bloomberg news.

QUESTION: Thank you, Mr. Secretary. Chinse leader Xi Jinping has recently, obviously, made diplomatic waves both with the Saudi Arabia-Iran deal and its own proposal for peace in Ukraine. Just the other day, Brazil’s president said the U.S. should stop encouraging war and start talking peace, and Brazil’s foreign minister also criticized Western sanctions for taking an unnecessary toll on nations involved in the conflict. Do you think the Brazilian comments suggest that the U.S. is potentially losing the battle for public opinion on Ukraine in the Global South? And do you think it’s time that Washington should meaningfully engage with China’s peace proposal, even despite the reservations about it freezing Russia’s territorial gains?

And secondly, just on China. It’s been weeks since Biden said he would try and speak with Xi, and there’s still no clear plan for your own previously postponed trip to Beijing. Given your own G7 counterparts are visiting China and urging engagement, do you think it’s time the U.S. started more substantive, meaningful engagement with senior Chinese officials or do you think Beijing’s unwillingness to engage is holding that back?

Thanks.

SECRETARY BLINKEN: Thank you. A few things. First, just speaking to the G7 itself and what I heard here and what we’ve been discussing over the last few days, what I – what I heard, again, is remarkable convergence on concerns related to the PRC and on what we’re doing to address those concerns. And I think some of you heard my counterparts speaking to that directly, and I’d also invite you to read the joint statement that we put out that reflects very well the shared approach that we have to China – both the challenges it poses as well as the need for engagement that we all see and share.

But in general, over the past two years what I’ve seen not just in Europe but also in Asia is much greater convergence on the approach to take to China, which for all of our countries is among the most consequential as well as complicated relationships that we have. We believe – the United States – that having lines of communication, being able to engage across the broad range of issues that animate the relationship, is important. And we also believe that countries around the world expect us to manage the relationship with China responsibly, and that starts with engagement, with having lines of communication. That’s exactly what President Biden sought to reinforce in Bali when he met with President Xi, and my expectation would be that we will be able to move forward on that. But it does require China to make clear its own intentions in doing that. We’ll look to see if they do so, but if they do so my expectation would be that we will find ways to engage as the presidents agreed during their Bali meeting.

Beyond that, I’m not going to speak to any individual countries. I can just say more generally with regard to Brazil that President Biden, President Lula had a very good meeting when President Lula visited the White House – I think his first or certainly among his very first visits to any country.

MR PATEL: The final question, Ryo Kiyomiya from Asahi Shimbun.

QUESTION: Thank you, Secretary Blinken. Welcome to Japan. I have several questions on Taiwan and engagement with the Global South.

First, on Taiwan, French President Macron said in his interview that Europe must not be a follower of either the U.S. or China on Taiwan, and we heard that there was some discussions on this comment during the ministerial meeting. How much are you worried his comment may undermine global support for Taiwan? And do you think they represent perhaps a small victory for Xi Jinping in China’s effort to divide Europe and the U.S. on foreign policy issues?

And secondly, on the Global South, to address the challenges of Russia and China’s influence in the developing world, how do you mean to offer an alternative to China by engaging more with the Global South? And also, what kind of role do you expect Japan to play in increasing engagement with the Global South?

Thank you.

SECRETARY BLINKEN: Thank you very much. With regard to Taiwan, there is clear unanimity in the approach that we’re taking with all of our G7 partners and many other countries around the world, and that is an expectation that any differences be dealt with peacefully and that neither side take any unilateral actions that would disrupt the status quo that preserves peace and stability. That is clearly what every single one of our G7 partners believes. I think it’s reflected well in the G7 statement that we’re putting out today. And again, a number of partners spoke directly to their views, to their countries’ views, on the broader relationship with China and the more specific question of Taiwan. And as I said a moment ago, in my experience we actually have not seen greater convergence at any other time in the approach than we see now, both with Europe as well as with key countries in Asia.

With regard to what’s called the Global South, I think if you look at the discussions that we had just over the last two and a half or three days, the vast majority of the time was spent on looking at the issues that are actually affecting people’s lives around the world and focusing, as I said, on how we can leverage our strengths to deliver actual solutions on the issues that, as I said, are having an impact on the lives of people around the world as well as in our own countries.

So look at what we spent our time focused on and developing concrete action plans on: food security; energy and climate change; health security; building infrastructure that addresses the needs of countries around the world; catalyzing more investment from the private sector; broader and more inclusive economic growth; international financial institutions that actually respond to the needs of countries around the world. That was probably two-thirds of the discussion that we had over the last two and a half days, and I suspect that you’ll see the leaders do the same when they meet in a month’s time.

And what this comes down to is that we as a G7, as individual countries, along with many other countries that are not part of the G7, want to spend our time, our focus, our resources on addressing these challenges and making it clear to countries around the world that this is not about asking or making them choose; it’s about offering a good, indeed a better – a better choice. And that’s exactly what we’ve focused our attention on. Again, I invite you to take a look at the statement that we put out. I think it reflects it very well, and it’s a very good prelude to the meeting that the leaders will have in a month’s time.

MR PATEL: Thank you, everybody. Thank you.

SECRETARY BLINKEN: Thanks, everyone.




Secretary Antony J. Blinken And UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly Before Their Meeting
04/18/2023retary James Cleverly Before Their Meeting
04/18/2023 12:19 AM EDT



Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State

Karuizawa, Japan

The Prince Karuizawa

SECRETARY BLINKEN: Well, good morning or almost good afternoon, everyone. The foreign secretary and I have just spent the last almost three days with our G7 colleagues covering pretty much the entire planet, and I think we both come away from the G7 – well, I should just speak for myself, but I imagine it’s the same – I think feeling very positively about the very strong convergence among all of the G7 countries on virtually all of the major issues that are facing us.

We now also have an opportunity to talk about some of the work that we’re doing directly together, the UK and the United States, and in particular following up from the very good meeting between President Biden and Prime Minister Sunak just a few days ago, which was very welcome, as well as looking at the work that we’re carrying forward from the G7, particularly with regard to Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, work we’re doing together in the Indo-Pacific, and the broad global agenda that the United Kingdom and the United States share.

So, James, as always, great to be with you.

FOREIGN SECRETARY CLEVERLY: Oh, well, Tony, thank you. And as you say, the last – the last couple of days have been intensive. We’ve had pretty much back-to-back meetings throughout the time we’ve been together, but we have covered a lot of ground – a lot of ground which is not just relevant to the seven countries represented around the table, but when we were talking about, for example, nuclear nonproliferation, support to the UN Charter, making sure that our relationship with Africa is balanced and positive and in a good place. I think we’ve covered some incredibly important topics.

Look, as I said to you downstairs in a discreet meeting but I think is something that I want to say more publicly, I’d like to put on record my personal thanks for your level of engagement with the developing situation in Sudan. I know we’ve all been involved in that in the margins of this meeting, you particularly so. And I think that that demonstrates, as did the meeting between the President and the prime minister recently, that the relationship between the U.S. and the UK is an incredibly important one; it’s one that we value hugely.

I’ve said publicly in the past – and I’m happy to repeat it – that the world is a healthier, happier, safer, more prosperous place when the UK and the U.S. work closely together, and I think it’s in our mutual interest to do so. But I also think it is in the interest of the wider global community that we work together on some of these really big issues that we want to resolve, but also some of the really fantastic opportunities that we’re going to explore together.

SECRETARY BLINKEN: Thank you.

FOREIGN SECRETARY CLEVERLY: Thank you.




Secretary Antony J. Blinken And Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida Before Their Meeting
04/18/2023


Secretary Antony J. Blinken And Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida Before Their Meeting
04/18/2023 05:43 AM EDT



Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State

Tokyo, Japan

Kantei

PRIME MINISTER KISHIDA: (Via interpreter) Well, Secretary Blinken, first of all, allow me to welcome you back to Japan.

SECRETARY BLINKEN: Thank you.

PRIME MINISTER KISHIDA: (Via interpreter) With the solidarity of the G7 becoming more important than ever, I have agreed that very rich and meaningful discussions were held at the G7 Foreign Ministers Meeting on critical topics, including the regional situations, including in Ukraine and the Indo-Pacific region, as well as engagement with the Global South.

And I want to pay my gratitude to you, Mr. Secretary, for your contribution to the discussion in the foreign ministers meeting. And I hope that – I look forward to working even more closely with the United States to maintain an international order based on the rule of law.

SECRETARY BLINKEN: Well, Prime Minister, thank you so much for receiving us today. The United States could not ask for a better partner than Japan. And we really applaud your leadership of the G7. It is clearly the critical steering committee for the leading democratic economies. Japan has established a very important agenda for the G7. We look forward, President Biden looks forward to pursuing that at the leaders meeting next month in Hiroshima.

And to your point, Prime Minister, I think we spent about two-thirds of our time on issues of concern to the Global South, and indeed to our own citizens: climate change, energy security, health security, inclusive economic growth. All of these issues were front and center in the agenda that Japan has put forward. And of course we focused as well on the ongoing Russian aggression against Ukraine.

And finally, and fittingly, we spent our last session focused on the arms control and nonproliferation agenda. And in all of these, we are grateful for Japan’s leadership, and again, the President very much looks forward to being in Japan with you next month.

Thank you.




Secretary Blinken’s Meeting with UK Foreign Secretary Cleverly
04/18/2023

Secretary Blinken’s Meeting with UK Foreign Secretary Cleverly
04/18/2023 08:55 AM EDT



Office of the Spokesperson

The below is attributable to Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel:

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken met today with UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly on the margins of the G7 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting. Secretary Blinken and Foreign Secretary Cleverly discussed close U.S.-UK cooperation on a range of global priorities, including support for Ukraine and planning for a robust NATO Summit in Vilnius. They also discussed the success of President Biden’s recent trip to Belfast.




G7 Japan 2023 Foreign Ministers’ Communiqué
04/18/2023

G7 Japan 2023 Foreign Ministers’ Communiqué
04/18/2023 11:18 AM EDT



Office of the Spokesperson

The text of the following communiqué was released by the G7 foreign ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States of America and the High Representative of the European Union.

I. INTRODUCTION

We, the G7 Foreign Ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom (U.K.) and the United States of America (U.S.), and the High Representative of the European Union, underline our strong sense of unity as the world navigates grave threats to the international system, including Russia’s continued war of aggression against Ukraine. We reaffirm our commitment to collective action to address global challenges, including climate change, pollution, loss of biodiversity, health, and food and energy security, and to uphold and reinforce the free and open international order based on the rule of law, respecting the United Nations (UN) Charter. We will continue to work with our partners to promote open, transparent, resilient, and sustainable societies that champion human rights, justice, and dignity, and address the needs of the most vulnerable. We reaffirm our intention to promote human security and continue building a global community that leaves no one behind. We call on all partners to join us in addressing these pressing global challenges and to work together to build a better, more prosperous, and more secure future.

II. PROMOTING PEACE AND SECURITY

1 Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine

We once again condemn in the strongest possible terms Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, which constitutes a serious violation of international law, including the UN Charter. Russia must withdraw all forces and equipment from Ukraine immediately and unconditionally. We recommit today to supporting Ukraine for as long as it takes and to providing sustained security, economic, and institutional support to help Ukraine defend itself, secure its free and democratic future, and deter future Russian aggression.

We reiterate our support for President Zelenskyy’s efforts to promote a comprehensive, just and lasting peace, in line with the UN Charter, and we support the basic principles outlined in his Peace Formula. We also welcome the resolution A/RES/ES-11/6, which was adopted on February 23, 2023, with the broad support of the international community at the Emergency Special Session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA). We will continue to help Ukraine repair and restore its critical energy and environmental infrastructure and reemphasize our strong support for Ukraine’s energy security. Ukraine’s anti-corruption and domestic reform efforts must continue, and we will support them. In this regard, we reiterate our full confidence in the G7 Ambassadors Support Group in Ukraine and its role of supporting the implementation process.

Russia’s irresponsible nuclear rhetoric and its threat to deploy nuclear weapons in Belarus are unacceptable. Any use of chemical, biological or nuclear weapons by Russia would be met with severe consequences. We recall the importance of the 77-year record of non-use of nuclear weapons since 1945. We condemn Russia’s continued seizure and militarization of Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP), which could lead to potentially severe consequences for nuclear safety and security. We support the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) efforts to help strengthen nuclear safety and security in Ukraine, including the Director General’s leadership on efforts at the ZNPP.

We remain committed to intensifying sanctions against Russia, coordinating and fully enforcing them, including through the Enforcement Coordination Mechanism, and countering Russia’s and third parties’ attempts to evade and undermine our sanctions measures. We reiterate our call on third parties to cease assistance to Russia’s war, or face severe costs. We will reinforce our coordination to prevent and respond to third parties supplying weapons to Russia and continue to take actions against those who materially support Russia’s war against Ukraine. We are determined, consistent with our respective legal systems, that Russia’s sovereign assets in our jurisdictions will remain immobilized until there is a resolution of the conflict that addresses Russia’s violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. Any resolution to the conflict must ensure Russia pays for the damage it has caused.

There can be no impunity for war crimes and other atrocities such as Russia’s attacks against civilians and critical civilian infrastructure. We further condemn the unlawful transfer and deportation of Ukrainians, including children, and conflict-related sexual violence against Ukrainians. We reiterate our commitment to holding those responsible to account consistent with international law, including by supporting the efforts of international mechanisms, in particular the International Criminal Court. We support exploring the creation of an internationalized tribunal based in Ukraine’s judicial system to prosecute the crime of aggression against Ukraine. In addition, we underscore the importance of the protection and preservation of Ukrainian cultural properties and heritage damaged and threatened by the war of aggression.

Russia’s weaponization of food and energy resources has compounded economic vulnerabilities, exacerbated already dire humanitarian crises, and escalated global food and energy insecurity. We will continue to provide assistance, including food-related aid, to help affected countries and populations.

2 Indo-Pacific

We reiterate the importance of a free and open Indo-Pacific, which is inclusive, prosperous, secure, based on the rule of law, and that protects shared principles including sovereignty, territorial integrity and peaceful resolution of disputes, fundamental freedoms and human rights. We reaffirm individual initiatives of the G7 members and welcome those of our partners to enhance their engagement with the region. We underscore our commitment to further strengthening our coordination among the G7 on the region, to working with regional partners, including ASEAN and its member states. We reaffirm our unwavering support for ASEAN centrality and unity and our commitment to promoting cooperation in line with the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific. We also reaffirm our partnership with Pacific Island countries and reiterate the importance of supporting their priorities and needs, in accordance with the Pacific Islands Forum’s 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent, including through the 4th International Conference on Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in 2024. We welcome and further encourage efforts made by the private sector, universities and think tanks, which contribute to realizing a free and open Indo-Pacific.

3 China

We recognize the importance of engaging candidly with and expressing our concerns directly to China. We acknowledge the need to work together with China on global challenges as well as areas of common interest, including on climate change, biodiversity, global health security, and gender equality. We reiterate our call for China to act as a responsible member of the international community. We stand prepared to work together to build constructive and stable relations through dialogue and to promote global economic recovery and people-to-people exchanges in a mutually beneficial way. It is in the interest of all countries, including China, to ensure transparent, predictable, and fair business environments. Legitimate business activities and interests of foreign companies must be protected from unfair, anti-competitive, and non-market practices, including through illegitimate technology transfer or data disclosure in exchange for market access. We encourage China to uphold its commitments to act responsibly in cyberspace, including refraining from conducting or supporting cyber-enabled intellectual property theft for commercial gain.

We remind China of the need to uphold the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and abstain from threats, coercion, intimidation, or the use of force. We remain seriously concerned about the situation in the East and South China Seas. We strongly oppose any unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion. There is no legal basis for China’s expansive maritime claims in the South China Sea, and we oppose China’s militarization activities in the region. We emphasize the universal and unified character of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and reaffirm UNCLOS’ important role in setting out the legal framework that governs all activities in the oceans and the seas. We reiterate that the award rendered by the Arbitral Tribunal on July 12, 2016, is a significant milestone, which is legally binding upon the parties to those proceeding, and a useful basis for peacefully resolving disputes between the parties.

We reaffirm the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait as an indispensable element in security and prosperity in the international community, and call for the peaceful resolution of cross-Strait issues. There is no change in the basic positions of the G7 members on Taiwan, including stated one China policies. We support Taiwan’s meaningful participation in international organizations, including in the World Health Assembly and WHO technical meetings, as a member where statehood is not a prerequisite and as an observer or guest where it is. The international community should be able to benefit from the experience of all partners. We continue to raise our concerns with China on reported human rights violations and abuses, including in Xinjiang and Tibet. We reiterate our concerns over the continued erosion of Hong Kong’s autonomy rights and freedoms, and call on China to act in accordance with its international commitments and legal obligations, including those enshrined in the Sino-British Joint Declaration and the Basic Law.

We call on China to act in accordance with its obligations under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations.

4 North Korea

We strongly condemn North Korea’s unprecedented number of unlawful ballistic missile launches, including the April 13 launch of what North Korea claimed as a solid-fuel Intercontinental Ballistic Missile. Each of these launches violated multiple United Nations Security Council Resolutions (UNSCRs). North Korea’s actions, together with increasingly escalatory and destabilizing rhetoric regarding the use of nuclear weapons, undermine regional stability and pose a grave threat to international peace and security. We demand North Korea refrain from any other destabilizing or provocative actions, including any further nuclear tests or launches that use ballistic missile technology. Such actions must be met with a swift, united, and robust international response, including further significant measures to be taken by the UN Security Council (UNSC).

We reiterate our unwavering commitment to the goal of North Korea’s complete, verifiable, and irreversible abandonment of its nuclear weapons and existing nuclear programs, and any other weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and ballistic missile programs in accordance with relevant UNSCRs. We urge North Korea to fully comply with the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) and IAEA safeguards, and to sign and ratify the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT). North Korea cannot and will never have the status of a nuclear-weapon State under the NPT. We call on North Korea to accept repeated offers of dialogue, including from Japan, the U.S., and the Republic of Korea.

It is critical that sanctions be fully and scrupulously implemented by all states and remain in place for as long as North Korea’s WMD and ballistic missile programs exist. We call for greater international coordination to counter North Korea’s malicious cyber activities.

We remain deeply concerned about the growing humanitarian crisis in North Korea, which is driven by North Korea’s choice to prioritize its unlawful weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs over the welfare of the people in North Korea. We deplore North Korea’s systematic human rights violations and urge North Korea to respect human rights, facilitate access for international humanitarian organizations, and resolve the abductions issue immediately.

5 Myanmar

We continue to strongly condemn the military coup in Myanmar, remain deeply concerned about the deteriorating security, humanitarian, human rights, and political situation, and express our solidarity with its people. We strongly condemn the April 11 airstrike by the Myanmar military in Kanbalu Township in Sagaing Region that killed a large number of civilians, including children. We call on the Myanmar military to immediately cease all violence, release all political prisoners and those arbitrarily detained, and return the country to a genuinely democratic path. We condemn further exclusion of forty Myanmar political parties, including the National League for Democracy, from the political process by the Myanmar military. The Myanmar military should create an environment for inclusive and peaceful dialogue, which includes all relevant stakeholders in the country. We also call for safe and unimpeded humanitarian access to all people, especially the most vulnerable. We continue to support ASEAN’s efforts to implement the Five-Point Consensus, including through the ASEAN Chair and ASEAN Special Envoy to Myanmar. We also reaffirm support for the UN Special Envoy of the UN Secretary-General (UNSG) on Myanmar and welcome UNSCR 2669 on the situation in Myanmar, which calls for the immediate cessation of violence, the respect for human rights and fundamental freedom, and the protection of civilians. We reiterate our call on all states to prevent the flow of arms into Myanmar. We stress the need to create conditions for the voluntary, safe, dignified, and sustainable return of all displaced persons, including Rohingya refugees.

6 Afghanistan

We note with grave concern increased threats to stability in Afghanistan and the deteriorating humanitarian and economic situation. We express our strongest opposition to the Taliban’s increasing restrictions on human rights and fundamental freedoms. In particular, we condemn the Taliban’s systematic abuses of human rights of women and girls and discrimination against the members of religious and ethnic minorities. All Afghans must enjoy full, equal, and meaningful participation in all spheres of public life, access to life saving humanitarian aid and basic services, including education, and freedom of movement and freedom of expression. These are prerequisites for peace, stability, and prosperity in Afghanistan. Unimpeded access of aid workers is essential for the effective delivery of assistance. We call for the immediate reversal of unacceptable decisions restricting human rights and fundamental freedoms, including the latest bans prohibiting Afghan women from working for NGOs and the UN.

We remain concerned about the persistent lack of political inclusivity and representative governance. We urge the Taliban to take significant steps to engage in credible and inclusive national dialogue, in which all Afghans, regardless of gender, ethnicity, or religious and political belief, can have a voice. We recognize the need for conveying unified messages to the Taliban in coordination with regional countries and other international partners. We underscore the Taliban’s responsibility to ensure respect for human rights and a dignified life of all Afghans, the country’s stability and recovery, as well as to prevent Afghanistan from becoming a safe haven for terrorism. We are united in condemning the recurring terrorist attacks, including those that target specific ethnic and religious groups. We support the mandate of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG), the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), and the Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Afghanistan to work towards achieving peace and stability.

7 Iran

We reiterate our clear determination that Iran must never develop a nuclear weapon, and urge Iran to cease nuclear escalations. We call on Iran to fulfill its legal obligations and political commitments regarding nuclear non-proliferation without further delay. We remain deeply concerned about Iran’s unabated escalation of its nuclear program, which has no credible civilian justification and brings it dangerously close to actual weapon-related activities. We recall recent sampling by the IAEA which found particles of uranium highly enriched to 83.7 percent. A diplomatic solution remains our preferred way to resolve international concerns regarding Iran’s nuclear program. In that context, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action continues to provide a useful reference. We take note of Iran’s stated readiness to provide the IAEA with further information and access to address the outstanding safeguards issues, and its agreement to allow the IAEA to implement further appropriate verification and monitoring activities. We call on Iran to uphold its safeguards obligations and stated commitments with prompt and concrete action.

We express our grave concern regarding Iran’s continued destabilizing activities, including the transfer of missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and related technologies to state and non-state actors and proxy groups in breach of UNSCRs including 2231 and 2216. Iran must stop supporting the Russian military in its war of aggression. In particular, we call upon Iran to cease transferring armed UAVs, which have been used in Ukraine. Indiscriminate attacks against civilians and critical civilian infrastructure constitute war crimes. We reiterate our conviction that the transfer of ballistic missiles would represent a major escalation. We welcome initiatives to improve bilateral relations among countries and de-escalate tensions in the region, including Iran and Saudi Arabia’s recent agreement to restore ties. Furthermore, we emphasize the importance of ensuring maritime security in the Middle East’s waterways, including through the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab al Mandab, and call on Iran not to interfere with the lawful exercise of navigational rights and freedoms by all vessels.

We reiterate our profound concern over Iran’s systemic human rights violations and abuses, especially with Iran’s efforts to oppress peaceful dissent through threats and intimidation. We condemn the targeting of individuals, including women, girls, minority groups, as well as journalists, in and outside of Iran. We call on Iran to take concrete action to address these issues. We strongly reject Iran’s targeting of dual and foreign citizens, and call on Iran’s leadership to end all unjust and arbitrary detentions.

8 Cooperation for peace and stability in the Middle East and North Africa

De-escalation, stability, and regional prosperity are key priorities. We call on Israelis and Palestinians to take steps to build trust toward the realization of a two-state solution, which envisions Israel and a viable Palestinian State living side by side in peace and security and mutual recognition. All parties must refrain from unilateral actions that undermine the prospects for a two-state solution, including settlement activities and incitement to violence. We strongly condemn all forms of violence against civilians, including terrorism. We reiterate our support for the historic status quo in Jerusalem and Jordan’s special role in this regard. We welcome the recent meetings in Aqaba, Jordan, and Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, between Jordan, Egypt, the U.S., Israel, and the Palestinian Authority aimed at de-escalating tensions, and hope the commitments in the resulting Joint Communiques will be fulfilled in good faith. We will continue assisting the Palestinians to enhance their economic self-reliance. We call for the international community’s broad and sustained support for the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East.

Regarding Yemen, we reiterate our support to the Special Envoy of the UNSG and call on all parties, especially the Houthis, to secure a durable ceasefire and work towards a comprehensive, durable, and inclusive Yemeni-led political process. We also call on the Houthis to lift any impediments to the delivery of humanitarian assistance, especially with regard to women and girls. We express our appreciation for the concerted efforts by the Government of Yemen and other countries in the region, including the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and the Sultanate of Oman. We call on all relevant parties and the international community to support the implementation of the UN-led plan to salvage the FSO Safer, including swiftly filling the remaining funding gap.

In order to achieve stability and promote unity in Libya, we support the SRSG’s proposal to identify a pathway towards reaching political consensus and holding free, fair, and inclusive presidential and parliamentary elections by the end of 2023. We urge all actors to preserve stability on the ground and to commit to working constructively on the political process.

We encourage and support the Tunisian government to quickly implement its own economic reform program to address the country’s economic situation and reach an agreement with the IMF.

In Syria, we remain firmly committed to an inclusive, UN-facilitated political process consistent with UNSCR 2254. We underscore the need for the international community to continue supporting the UN Special Envoy. We reiterate that the international community can only consider reconstruction assistance after there is authentic and enduring progress towards political solution in line with UNSCR 2254. We condemn the ongoing atrocities against the Syrian people. We are firmly committed to accountability for those responsible for the use of chemical weapons and violations of international law, including international humanitarian law and international human rights law, as applicable. We continue to urge the Syrian regime to comply with its obligations under UNSCR 2118. We also confirm our continued commitment to supporting the Syrian people through all necessary means, including early recovery assistance as appropriate. We call for full and unhindered humanitarian access to all Syrians in need, particularly through UN cross-border aid for which there is no alternative in scope or scale.

We stand in solidarity with the peoples of Türkiye and Syria affected by the horrifying February earthquakes and plan to continue our support in tackling the consequences of this catastrophe. It is also vital that humanitarian aid reaches all those who require it, safely and unhindered, as efficiently as possible.

9 Working together with Central Asian countries

We affirm our intent to support the sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity of Central Asian countries. We commit to working together with Central Asian countries to address regional challenges, including the consequences of Russia’s war of aggression, the destabilizing effect of the situation in Afghanistan, food and energy insecurity, terrorism, and the consequences of climate change. We are determined to foster sustainable connectivity, transportation, and trade and energy links to enhance regional prosperity. Furthermore, we remain committed to strengthening our cooperation with Central Asian countries on socio-economic development, women’s economic empowerment, human rights, gender equality, domestic and institutional reforms, and regional security. We welcome the intensification of regional cooperation of Central Asian countries in the abovementioned fields and remain committed to support such cooperation.

10 G7-Africa Partnership

We are deepening our partnerships with African countries and regional organizations, including the African Union (AU). We support African calls for stronger representation in international fora.

We reiterate our strong commitment to supporting governments in the region to tackle the underlying conditions conducive to the spread of terrorism, violent extremism, and instability across Africa. We are seriously concerned about the growing presence of the Russia-affiliated Wagner Group forces on the continent, and their destabilizing impact and human rights abuses. We urge all actors to respect international human rights law and international humanitarian law and reiterate our call for accountability of all those responsible. We also call for safe, unimpeded access for humanitarian actors to reach those in need.

In the Sahel, we commend the efforts by the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali for helping protect the lives of civilians, in the context of political and security constraints on the mission. We take note of the UNSG’s strategic review and the parameters set to allow for the pursuit of the mission. We are also seriously concerned about the spread of terrorist threats and activities towards coastal countries in West Africa. Acknowledging the need to improve government responsiveness to citizens’ needs and the importance of free and fair elections, we call for comprehensive implementation of the transition charters in countries on the path to constitutional order.

There is an urgent need to reinforce peace and security in the Horn of Africa, meet serious humanitarian needs, and build resilience in the region. We welcome the positive developments stemming from the cessation of hostilities agreement between the Government of Ethiopia and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, commend the AU for its mediation, and urge progress on transitional justice and accountability. We call on both parties to remain committed to fully implementing the agreement, including unhindered access for international human rights monitors. We also call for international support for the Somali President’s reform priorities and the fight against al-Shabaab.

We strongly condemn the ongoing fighting between the Sudan Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces, which threatens the security and safety of Sudanese civilians and undermines efforts to restore Sudan’s democratic transition. We urge the parties to end hostilities immediately without pre-conditions. We call on all actors to renounce violence, return to negotiations, and take active steps to reduce tensions and ensure the safety of all civilians, including diplomatic and humanitarian personnel.

We reaffirm our commitment to the sovereignty, independence, unity, and territorial integrity of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). We condemn the advance of the UN-sanctioned March 23 Movement (M23) armed group, exacerbating an extreme humanitarian situation. We urge M23 to end any further advances and to withdraw from all territories it controls. All armed groups must immediately cease all violent acts and disarm. We demand the immediate and full implementation of the cessation of hostilities agreed on March 3. We welcome regional stabilization efforts, including East African Community-led Nairobi process and heads of state dialogue mediated by Angola, and underscore the critical role of the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the DRC in protecting civilians and supporting the DRC government’s peace consolidation efforts.

11 Cooperation with Latin American and Caribbean Partners

We highlight the importance of enhancing cooperation with countries in Latin America and the Caribbean to uphold shared interests as well as values. We are committed to working together to address economic challenges, natural disasters and climate change, strengthen the rule of law, enhance socio-economic resilience, promote trade and investments, and address global issues.

We are concerned about the economic, political, and humanitarian situation in Venezuela that is driving forced displacement, leading to the unprecedented migration flows in the region and overstretching the hosting countries’ capacities. We call for humanitarian access to address the urgent needs of those affected by the multilayered crisis. The way forward lies in Venezuelan-led negotiations leading to free and fair presidential and parliamentary elections for the benefit of the Venezuelan people.

We reiterate our commitment to supporting, together with other actors of the international community, all efforts to strengthen public institutions and resolve the worsening security and humanitarian situation in Haiti. We condemn the violence and criminal activities perpetrated by armed gangs and those who support them, and we welcome UNSCR 2653 establishing a sanctions regime for Haiti. We support the role of the UN Integrated Office in Haiti and call on all stakeholders to overcome differences and achieve progress in the dialogues on the basis of the political accord of 2022, the “National Consensus for an Inclusive Transition and Transparent Elections”. We reiterate the importance of restoring stability in Haiti and establishing the conditions necessary to allow for free and fair elections, as well as facilitating the unhindered provision of humanitarian support to the Haitian people.

We note with concern the elevated humanitarian and security needs in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. These countries suffer from large-scale displacements, rising food prices, and insecurity challenges. We encourage existing and new efforts by donors, including private actors, to meet the urgent needs outlined in the respective 2023 UN Humanitarian Response Plans.

We follow very carefully the situation in Nicaragua, where human rights violations and abuses continue. We condemn the decision of Nicaragua to arbitrarily revoke the nationality of over 300 Nicaraguan citizens. We call on Nicaragua to end the widespread repression of civil society, private sector and political actors, release all political prisoners, respect its international obligations, and provide remedies for violations and abuses.

III. ADDRESSING GLOBAL CHALLENGES

12 Free and open international order

We are determined to strengthen the free and open international order based on the rule of law, respect for the UN Charter, the sovereignty, and territorial integrity of all states, and respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. Countries, large and small, benefit from these principles. We are determined to uphold and protect them, and we stand ready to work with all willing partners in this endeavor.

The prohibition of threats or the use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state, in accordance with the provisions of the UN Charter, constitutes the cornerstone of the post-war international system. Yet, territorial ambition is again driving some states to return to rule by force, so we have redoubled our efforts to uphold peace guided by the rule of law. The prohibition on the acquisition of territory resulting from the threat or use of force, reaffirmed in the Friendly Relations Declaration of 1970, should be observed in good faith. We strongly oppose any unilateral attempts to change the peacefully established status of territories by force or coercion anywhere in the world. In this regard, sending regular or irregular forces to unilaterally annex a territory is prohibited.

We emphasize that free and fair trade is key to resilient and sustainable development for all, particularly the most vulnerable. We recognize that free and equitable public access to scientific knowledge is integral to solving global challenges. We also recognize the importance of enhancing international action to detect, deter, and end illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing, including through support to developing countries.

We reconfirm the need to accelerate cooperation with our partners to prevent and counter terrorism and violent extremism, including terrorist financing and misuse of cyberspace for terrorist purposes. We reiterate the importance of combating transnational organized crime, including crimes related to drug trafficking, small arms and light weapons trafficking, human trafficking, and child abuse, both online and offline. We recognize the significant public health and security challenges posed by synthetic drugs. We will enhance efforts to stop the illicit manufacture and trafficking of these substances and to address the public health consequences of substance use. We remain committed to safe, orderly, and regular migration around the world and will continue to engage in preventing and countering migrant smuggling and trafficking in persons. Our approach will continue to be human rights oriented, survivor-centered, and gender-responsive, and will focus on identifying and protecting those most at-risk, as well as prosecuting the perpetrators. We are committed to working together to strengthen cross-border law enforcement efforts and pursue accountability for corruption. We commit to ensure strong and effective implementation of our existing obligations and commitments to counter corruption, including efforts to fight against foreign bribery, and work to advance our common anti-corruption priorities.

13 Global governance

We reiterate the importance of multilateralism and international cooperation in promoting peace, stability, and prosperity. We express our support for the vision of the UNSG’s Our Common Agenda. We believe the UN should be strengthened to address the changing international environment and challenges to collective security. In this regard, we highlight the voices of the overwhelming majority of Member States in the UNGA, who have sent a clear signal of condemnation of Russia’s war of aggression, despite Russia blocking decisions in the UNSC. We welcome the commitment of France, the U.K., and the U.S. to voluntarily refrain from use of the veto in the UNSC except in rare and extraordinary circumstances, and hope that the remaining permanent members will join them. We recall in this context the ACT code of conduct and the French-Mexican Initiative on suspension of the veto in case of mass atrocities. We are committed to working with all UN Member States to strengthen the roles of the UNSG as well as the UNGA. We also recommit to the reform of the UNSC.

Underscoring the shared responsibilities of the world’s major economies to bridge the SDGs financing gap, we strive to implement the 2030 Agenda and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and recognize the need for accelerated action to meet them by 2030. We are committed to contributing to the success of the 2023 SDG Summit, the UN Food Systems Summit Stocktaking Moment, and the 2024 Summit of the Future. We reaffirm our efforts to enhance support for vulnerable populations, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, where projections suggest extreme poverty will become increasingly concentrated, including by promoting the concept of human security in the new era. We welcome the Chair’s Summary of the G7 Senior Development Officials meeting as published on March 20, 2023, which stresses the critical centrality of sustainable development efforts in all G7 work and acknowledges the ongoing revision of Japan’s Development Cooperation Charter. We welcome the “Summit for a New Global Financing Pact” to be held in Paris in June, aiming at catalyzing and complementing ongoing efforts to realize the 2030 Agenda overall. We reaffirm the need for strengthened international financial institutions and underscore the role of multilateral developments banks (MDBs) in the SDGs achievement, including in crisis affected contexts. We support the ongoing efforts for MDBs reform, including the World Bank Group evolution roadmap. We also reaffirm our support for the G20 and will support our Leaders in working towards a successful outcome at the New Delhi Summit in September 2023.

14 Peacebuilding and peacekeeping

We renew our commitment to strengthening peacebuilding efforts to address increasingly complex and interconnected security challenges. We must build resilient societies, protect human rights, support good governance, and invest in people to achieve sustainable peace. We condemn sexual and gender-based violence, especially when related to conflict.

We highly value the role of the UN and support an integrated approach to peacebuilding and peacekeeping. We support the Peacebuilding Commission in its role as a convener of relevant stakeholders and an advisory body to other UN organs. We reaffirm that the UN peacekeeping operations and special political missions are valuable tools to prevent escalation and the recurrence of conflicts and to protect civilians where mandated to do so. We further reaffirm our commitment to and support for the UNSG’s “Action for Peacekeeping” and “Action for Peacekeeping Plus” to reform and strengthen such operations. We will enhance capabilities and ensure the safety and security of those deployed, for example through the UN Triangular Partnership Programme. We also underscore the importance of strengthening the global implementation of the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda. We reiterate our commitment to contributing to the discussion in the UN on a “New Agenda for Peace.”

15 Disarmament and non-proliferation

We are committed to maintaining and strengthening disarmament and non-proliferation efforts for a more secure, stable, and safer world and endorse the Statement of the G7 Non-Proliferation Directors’ Group of April 17, 2023.

Cognizant of the G7 Leaders meeting to be held in Hiroshima, which together with Nagasaki offers a reminder of the unprecedented devastation and immense human suffering the people of Hiroshima and Nagasaki experienced as a result of the atomic bombings of 1945, we reaffirm our commitment to the ultimate goal of a world without nuclear weapons with undiminished security for all, achieved through a realistic, pragmatic, and responsible approach. In this regard, Japan’s “Hiroshima Action Plan” is a welcome contribution embodying a pragmatic approach given the current harsh security environment. We underscore the importance of disarmament and non-proliferation education, while encouraging other leaders, youth, and others to also visit Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

The overall decline in global nuclear arsenals must continue and not be reversed. The NPT is the cornerstone of the global nuclear non-proliferation regime and the foundation for the pursuit of nuclear disarmament and peaceful uses of nuclear energy. We call for the immediate commencement of long-overdue negotiations of a treaty banning the production of fissile material for nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices (FMCT) while urging all states that have not yet done so to declare and maintain voluntary moratoria on the production of such material. We underline the urgent need to bring the CTBT into force. We express our concern over Russia’s announcement of its readiness to conduct a nuclear test, and we call for Russia’s adherence to its moratorium on nuclear tests.

The G7 is committed to working with all states to further identify and implement measures to minimize risks of nuclear weapons use and to strengthen arms control. We recall the Joint Statement of the Leaders of the Five Nuclear-Weapon States issued on January 3, 2022 on Preventing Nuclear War and Avoiding Arms Races, and reaffirm that a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought. We call on Russia to recommit – in words and deeds – to the principles enshrined in that Statement. We welcome the transparency of G7 nuclear-weapon States in providing data on their nuclear forces and the objective size of their nuclear arsenals. We call on others that have not yet done so to follow suit. We deeply regret Russia’s decision to suspend the New START Treaty, and call on Russia to return to its full implementation and U.S.-Russia dialogue on reducing nuclear risks. We are also concerned about China’s ongoing and accelerating expansion of its nuclear arsenal, and development of increasingly sophisticated delivery systems, without transparency, good faith arms control or risk reductions measures. The G7 urges China to engage promptly in strategic risk reduction discussions with the U.S. and to promote stability through greater transparency of China’s nuclear weapon policies, plans, and capabilities. Our security policies are based on the understanding that nuclear weapons, for as long as they exist, should serve defensive purposes, deter aggression, and prevent war and coercion.

Those G7 countries which opt for nuclear power, or related peaceful nuclear applications, recognize that the use of nuclear energy, science, and technology contributes to providing affordable low-carbon energy, while adhering to the highest standards of nuclear safety, security, and non-proliferation. We recognize the essential role of the IAEA in assisting Member States to build human and institutional capacities in support of these standards. We underscore the importance of increasing the transparency of the management of civil plutonium. We call on all states that committed to reporting annually their holdings of all plutonium in peaceful nuclear activities to the IAEA to fulfill those commitments. We also support the universal adoption of key safeguards agreements, including Comprehensive Safeguards Agreements, IAEA Additional Protocols and, where applicable, revised Small Quantities Protocol.

We recall the G7 Leaders’ commitment to evaluate measures to reduce reliance on civil nuclear-related goods from Russia and to assist countries seeking to diversify their supplies.

We underscore that export controls remain a key instrument in maintaining international security and stability, and that all States have the legal obligation to take and enforce effective measures to establish domestic controls to prevent the proliferation of WMD and their means of delivery under UNSCR 1540. Multilateral export control regimes have a central role in this regard. We continue to coordinate among the G7 and work with other states in strengthening effective and responsible export controls on materials, technology, and research that could be used for military purposes. We reiterate our commitment to review the material and technology that we control, including by coordinating our respective efforts and supporting work to update multilateral export control regime lists to keep pace with rapid technological developments. We reaffirm our determination to work together with our partners to counter the threat of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons. We reiterate our commitment to ensure that the G7-led 31-member Global Partnership Against the Spread of Weapons and Materials of Mass Destruction retains its leadership role in addressing threats posed by weapons and materials of mass destruction.

16 Economic resilience and economic security

We express our concern that threats to economic security are increasing and emphasize the urgent need to enhance our coordination and cooperation within and beyond the G7. We express our continued commitment to strengthening economic security, especially for the most vulnerable countries. We emphasize the importance of honoring international norms and obligations to safeguard global economic security and resilience, and reaffirm our commitment to building global economic resilience and responding to harmful practices that undermine the rules-based multilateral trading system with the WTO at its core. We share the view that resilient supply chains should be built in a transparent, diversified, secure, sustainable, trustworthy and reliable manner.

We remain committed to increasing our vigilance and enhancing our cooperation to counter threats that are meant to undermine not only our interests but also global security and stability, including economic coercion. We stress the importance of equipping ourselves with necessary means to counter economic coercion and working together with like-minded partners, including partners with emerging or developing economies, to improve our assessment, preparedness, deterrence, and response to such threats, based on robust diplomatic coordination.

We also emphasize the urgent need to take measures against illegitimate or forced state-led acquisition of critical technologies and intellectual property, especially when this constitutes a risk to the security of target countries. Critical and emerging technologies will have a transformative effect on the way societies function, and their unexpected, malicious, untrustworthy, or improper use has the potential to disrupt national and individual security. We reiterate that the design, development, governance, export, and use of such technologies should be guided by shared democratic values.

We also welcome the G7 Roma-Lyon Group’s efforts to bridge discussions on economic security and on counter-terrorism and anti-crime efforts to foster coordination and collaboration with private companies and other non-governmental partners, and to enhance the law enforcement responses, including preventive measures.

17 Development finance and infrastructure

We reaffirm our commitment to narrowing the infrastructure investment gap by delivering financing and other support for sustainable, resilient, inclusive, and quality infrastructure. We will work together to operationalize the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment (PGII), including through country-led partnerships and investments in enabling environments for sustainable infrastructure development. We aim to focus investments on areas that drive equitable growth and resilience, including climate and energy, connectivity including ICT and transport, food security, health, and gender.

As the SDGs are reaching their halfway point in 2023, we need to strengthen the efforts to revitalize international cooperation to achieve SDGs in a comprehensive manner, and we are concerned about the increasing debt burdens in many developing countries and crowding out investments in transitioning to greener, more resilient, and inclusive economies, highlighting the importance of fair and open lending practices. We aim to enhance creditor coordination for debt restructuring and to improve the implementation of our existing frameworks through relevant capacity development.

We are determined to promote transparent and fair development finance practices and will work together to address the implementation gap of existing principles such as debt transparency and sustainability, internationally coordinated debt treatments and the respect of the comparability of treatment, fair appraisal, selection and lending practice, and quality infrastructure investment. In this regard, we call on all actors to adhere to internationally recognized rules, standards, and principles, including the G20 Principles for Quality Infrastructure Investment and the OECD Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions. We commit to deepening discussions and fostering cooperation among like-minded partners.

18 Outer space and cybersecurity

Given that our societies are increasingly reliant on space systems, we are committed to promoting the maintenance of a peaceful, safe, secure, and sustainable space environment and call on all states to work together for future generations. We reiterate the importance of addressing the issues of space debris, which is growing exponentially. We strongly support the implementation of international guidelines adopted at COPUOS and welcome national efforts to develop further solutions for space debris mitigation and remediation. Supporting UNGA resolution 77/41, we commit not to conduct destructive direct-ascent anti-satellite missile testing and encourage others to follow suit. We remain deeply concerned about increasing threats to space systems. We strongly support the UN Open Ended Working Group on “Reducing space threats through norms, rules and principles of responsible behaviors.” It is also important to jointly improve capabilities of Space Situational Awareness to avoid unintentional collision and better share such data.

We support an open, interoperable, reliable, and secure cyberspace. We are concerned about growing cyberspace threats and remain committed to countering challenges and promoting the rule of law in cyberspace. We encourage all states to deepen the substantive discussion on how existing international law, including the UN Charter, applies to cyberspace. We are determined to implement regional and global confidence building measures, promote internationally established, voluntary, and non-legally binding norms of responsible state behavior in cyberspace, and enhance capacity building efforts. We are steadfast in disseminating existing international cooperation frameworks for investigation and prosecution and contributing to ongoing efforts to combat cybercrime.

19 Countering foreign interference including disinformation

We remain concerned by the increasing threats to our nations, economies and societies posed by foreign interference activities including disinformation, which aim to disrupt our democratic processes, destabilize our societies, endanger our people, and undermine our institutions and shared values. We are committed to promoting a free and open information environment without foreign information manipulation. We reaffirm our commitment to strengthening the G7 Rapid Response Mechanism (RRM) as part of our efforts to collectively safeguard against foreign threats to democracy, including foreign information threats, alongside other international efforts. We strongly condemn the widespread use of information manipulation and disinformation by Russia in order to gain support for its aggression against Ukraine. Access to, quality, and trustworthy information is key to combating information manipulation and disinformation, and we will redouble our efforts in this regard, including through supporting relevant international initiatives, such as the Partnership for Information and Democracy, and efforts by the UN, OECD, or elsewhere. We also commit to encouraging digital companies to bolster their platforms against any misuse for manipulation, while promoting a free, open, and secure Internet.

20 Energy security, climate change and environmental degradation

We recognize that achieving energy security and simultaneously accelerating the transformation towards net zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2050 and halting and reversing biodiversity loss by 2030 is an urgent task. To that end, we reaffirm our determination to reduce energy consumption, promote energy efficiency, and fast-track clean, safe, and sustainable energy development and deployment, while reducing our dependency on fossil fuels, in order to speed the decarbonization of global energy systems. We reaffirm our determination to strengthen global energy governance and to ensure liquidity of energy markets through ways such as increased usage of clean energy, in order to prevent any country from leveraging energy exports as a tool of geopolitical coercion. We will work to strengthen secure, resilient, sustainable, responsible, transparent, and diverse critical minerals supply chains essential for net zero economies and clean technologies, and diversify wider clean energy supply chains to support the global energy transition. Recalling our commitment to the goal of achieving fully or predominantly decarbonized power sectors by 2035, we remain committed to working to ensure access to affordable, reliable, and sustainable energy for all. We will foster international cooperation to accelerate clean and sustainable energy transitions to keep a temperature limit of 1.5°C within reach. We stress the importance of objective data and analysis as well as dialogue among stakeholders with a view to stabilizing energy markets.

Concerning the accelerating impacts of the triple global crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution, and in light of the findings of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, we reaffirm our unwavering commitment to strengthening the implementation of the Paris Agreement and Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF) in this critical decade, and will work towards a successful United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change COP28. We welcome the conclusion of the negotiations for an international and legally binding instrument under the UNCLOS on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction (BBNJ). We call on all actors to take scaled-up, immediate, ambitious, and inclusive actions to ensure that their climate commitments are aligned with a 1.5 °C pathway to achieve global net-zero GHG emissions by 2050 at the latest. We also call on all countries to commit at COP28 to collectively peaking global GHG emissions as soon as possible by 2025 at the latest, revisiting and strengthening the 2030 targets in their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) as necessary. We reaffirm our commitment to the developed country goal of jointly mobilizing 100 billion USD annually in climate finance through to 2025 in the context of meaningful mitigation actions and transparency on implementation. We will continue accelerating our efforts to at least double the collective provision of climate finance for adaptation to developing countries from 2019 levels by 2025, and call on others to do the same. We reaffirm the need for robust G7 pledges and the broadening of the contributor base for the Green Climate Fund’s ambitious second replenishment process. We commit to aligning financial flows with the Paris Agreement and the KMGBF, and call on other countries and MDBs to do the same. We reaffirm the importance of Just Energy Transition Partnerships (JETPs), and welcome progress achieved on the JETP with South Africa, Indonesia and Vietnam, and the ongoing discussions with India and Senegal.

Protecting people living in climate vulnerable situations, including those in SIDS, Least Developed Countries (LDCs), and fragile states, is essential for human security and sustaining stability. We promote the empowerment and protection of groups that may be more adversely affected by climate change. We will continue to provide further support to advance adaptation and strengthen the resilience of those people and to take timely and effective actions to reduce risks posed to peace and stability by climate change and environmental degradation. We recognize the particular concerns of many countries, including the member countries of the Pacific Island Forum and AOSIS, with respect to the stability of their baselines and maritime zones in the face of sea level rise. We emphasize the strong determination to work to successfully implement the decision at COP 27/the Paris Agreement-CMA4 to establish new funding arrangements for responding to loss and damage. We reaffirm the urgent need to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030.

21 Food security, nutrition, and humanitarian assistance

We reaffirm that multiple factors including COVID-19 pandemic, soaring energy and food prices, climate change, biodiversity loss, and armed conflicts especially Russia’s war of aggression have disrupted global food systems including production and fertilizer and energy supply chains, exacerbating food insecurity and worsening malnutrition particularly in Africa and the Middle East. We acknowledge growing concerns about poor soil health and fertility, water scarcity, poor management of water resources, a lack of nutritious foods, and a lack of access to and affordability of fertilizers and underline the importance of adopting measures to build more resilient and sustainable supply chains.

We have responded to the food and nutrition crisis by strengthening efforts to prevent and treat all forms of malnutrition and by stepping up our assistance to affected countries, regions, and populations, including women and girls who are disproportionately impacted by the food and nutrition crisis. We also emphasize the importance of the efforts started within the framework of the Global Alliance for Food Security that was established by the G7 together with the World Bank. We reaffirm support to the G7 Famine Prevention and Humanitarian Crises Compact. We recognize the critical importance of the “Solidarity Lanes”, the “Black Sea Grain Initiative”, and the “Grain from Ukraine Initiative” to support the restoration of Ukraine’s agricultural sector and to prevent further food system shocks. We call upon Russia to stop threatening global food supplies and allow the Black Sea Grain Initiative to operate at its maximum potential and indefinitely.

We underline the importance of preventing and treating malnutrition and protecting the most vulnerable populations and of the right to adequate food. We consider access to affordable, safe, and nutritious food and the realization of the right to adequate food to be a basic human need. We affirm the necessity of enhancing agricultural related infrastructure, including processing, storage, irrigation, and transportation systems. We affirm our intention to accelerate support for particularly vulnerable countries, promote regional agricultural trade, strengthen food supply management, and build market linkages for smallholder farmers. We acknowledge that sustained investments in agricultural development helped reduce global hunger, poverty, and malnutrition. We affirm our commitment to mobilizing public and private sector partners to help vulnerable countries transform their agricultural sectors and sustainably increase agricultural productivity as they adapt to climate change and sustainably, nutritiously and safely feed growing populations and build long-term resilient and sustainable agriculture and food systems.

We reaffirm our commitment to humanitarian crisis prevention and response to support vulnerable populations severely affected by multiple crises. We are determined to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of humanitarian assistance, such as anticipatory action and other measures, in line with the Grand Bargain and other commitments. We will continue to work with the international community towards the second Global Refugee Forum in December 2023. We also recognize the importance of the UNSG’s follow-up Action Agenda on Internal Displacement.

22 Global health

A healthy environment is precondition for human health and wellbeing. We are working together and cooperating with global partners to prevent, prepare for, and respond to future epidemics and pandemics. The One Health approach is an essential component of these efforts. We are determined to build more resilient health systems to improve prevention, preparedness, and response (PPR) for future pandemics, antimicrobial resistance, and other global health threats. We reiterate our commitment to draft and negotiate a WHO convention, agreement or other international instrument on pandemic PPR (WHO CA+), working with other WHO Member States in the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body. We are also negotiating targeted amendments to strengthen the International Health Regulations (2005).

We are committed to strengthening health systems and enhancing equitable and timely access to safe, high quality, affordable and effective medical countermeasures (MCMs), including in humanitarian settings. To this end, we are committed to supporting the strengthening of an end-to-end MCM ecosystem for future health emergencies. We emphasize the importance of promoting sustainable local and regional manufacturing and delivery based on public health needs. Achievement of universal health coverage (UHC), with Primary Health Care as a cornerstone, is critically important for the continued social and economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and to tackle other health challenges. We commit to ensuring the effective operationalization of the Pandemic Fund, which focuses on strengthening pandemic prevention and preparedness capacities.

We reaffirm our strong commitment to a comprehensive approach to mental health and psycho-social support for all and to comprehensive sexual and reproductive health and rights for all individuals, including through strengthened coordination to advance sexual and reproductive, maternal, and child health, nutrition, and improved access to family planning. We are determined to work with others to maximize synergies and ensure ambitious action-oriented outcomes across UNGA High Level Meetings on pandemic PPR, UHC, and tuberculosis. We emphasize the importance of cooperative capacity-building efforts, including expanded surveillance and augmented laboratory capacity to strengthen global biosafety and security.

23 Gender Equality

We reaffirm the G7’s continued global leadership on gender equality and the promotion and protection of the rights of women and girls in all their diversity as well as LGBTQIA+ persons. We express our strong concern over the global rollback of women’s and girls’ rights in particular and the disproportionate impact of conflict and crisis on them. We are committed to the elimination of sexual and gender-based violence, including conflict-related and technologically-facilitated sexual violence. We underscore the importance of ensuring the full empowerment of women, as well as their full, equal and meaningful participation in all political and peace processes. We recognize the importance of advancing gender-responsive climate action, closing the digital gender gap, strengthening and formalizing the care economy, and breaking down gender barriers in education. We reaffirm our commitment to implementing the global WPS agenda in accordance with UNSCR 1325 and subsequent resolutions.

24 Disaster-risk reduction

We are enhancing international cooperation on disaster risk reduction, recognizing that many countries are vulnerable to natural disasters and the resulting forced displacement. We fully acknowledge the importance of capacity building and early warning systems, in line with the UNSG’s “Early Warnings for All” initiative, adaptable procurement, and social protection systems with a view to strengthening resilience against disasters, many of which are exacerbated by climate change. We are also committed to accelerating international cooperation in line with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 and welcome the output of its midterm review conducted by the UNDRR together with states and relevant stakeholders this year. Building on the outcome of COP27, we underline that such disaster risk reduction efforts contribute to averting, minimizing, and addressing the loss and damage associated with climate change and to achieve sustainable development. We stress the importance of taking anticipatory actions to prevent or reduce acute humanitarian crises before they fully unfold.

(End)


Deputy Secretary Sherman’s Call with French Foreign Ministry Secretary General Descôtes
04/18/2023


Deputy Secretary Sherman’s Call with French Foreign Ministry Secretary General Descôtes
04/18/2023 04:52 PM EDT



Office of the Spokesperson

The below is attributable to Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel:

Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman spoke today with French Foreign Ministry Secretary General Anne-Marie Descôtes. The Deputy Secretary and Secretary General discussed the situation in Sudan, including the need for an immediate ceasefire and ensuring the safety of all civilians. They shared concerns over actions by the People’s Republic of China that undermine the status quo across the Taiwan Strait and highlighted the importance of peace, stability, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific. Deputy Secretary Sherman and Secretary General Descôtes reiterated their stalwart support for Ukraine as it continues to defend itself against Russia’s unprovoked and brutal war. They also reviewed efforts to advance dialogue and diplomacy in Armenia and Azerbaijan.




Additional U.S. Security Assistance for Ukraine
04/19/2023


Additional U.S. Security Assistance for Ukraine
04/19/2023 01:58 PM EDT



Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State

We will continue to stand with our Ukrainian partners in response to of Russia’s continued war of aggression.

Pursuant to a delegation of authority from President Biden, I am authorizing our 36th drawdown of U.S. arms and equipment for Ukraine valued at $325 million. This security assistance package includes more ammunition for U.S.-provided HIMARS and artillery rounds, as well as anti-armor systems, small arms, logistics support vehicles, and maintenance support essential to strengthening Ukraine’s defenders on the battlefield. This new security assistance will enable Ukraine to continue to bravely defend itself in the face of Russia’s brutal, unprovoked and unjustified war.

Russia could end its war today. Until Russia does, the United States and our allies and partners will stand united with Ukraine for as long as it takes.




Deputy Secretary Sherman’s Meeting with French Director General for Foreign Relations and Strategy Rufo
04/20/2023

Deputy Secretary Sherman’s Meeting with French Director General for Foreign Relations and Strategy Rufo
04/20/2023 07:54 PM EDT



Office of the Spokesperson

The following is attributable to Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel:

Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman met today with French Director General for Foreign Relations and Strategy at the Ministry of the Armed Forces Alice Rufo. They discussed promoting peace, stability, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific. They reiterated the critical importance of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity in the face of Russia’s unprovoked and brutal war with respect to any future peace negotiations. Deputy Secretary Sherman and Director General Rufo also discussed the situation in Sudan, including the need for a durable ceasefire and ensuring the safety of all civilians. They highlighted our shared commitment to promoting security in the Sahel.




United States – Iceland Strategic Dialogue
04/21/2023

United States – Iceland Strategic Dialogue
04/21/2023 05:58 PM EDT



Office of the Spokesperson

The United States and Iceland held the annual U.S.-Iceland Strategic Dialogue today in Washington, D.C., led by Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary Kami Witmer, Office of the Secretary of Defense Principal Director for Europe and NATO Policy Andrew Winternitz, Vice-Permanent Secretary of the Icelandic Ministry for Foreign Affairs Anna Johannsdottir, Director General for International Affairs and Policy Maria Jonsdottir, and Director General for Defense Jonas Allansson, with participation from U.S. Ambassador to Iceland Carrin Patman and Icelandic Ambassador to the United States Bergdis Ellertsdottir.

The United States and Iceland welcomed the substantial progress achieved on bilateral security priorities since the last Strategic Dialogue in Reykjavik in April 2022. As NATO Allies, the United States and Iceland discussed a range of issues regarding European security, strengthening security in the North Atlantic, sustained support to Ukraine, challenges posed by the People’s Republic of China, Arctic security, Iceland’s Council of Europe presidency, and future areas of cooperation. As part of the dialogue, the Allies further conferred on NATO priorities and the upcoming NATO Summit. The United States and Iceland reaffirmed the importance of the 1951 bilateral defense agreement and committed to continue building upon the strong and enduring bilateral relationship.




Acting Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor Barclay’s Travel to Belgium
04/23/2023
Acting Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor Barclay’s Travel to Belgium
04/23/2023 12:07 PM EDT



Office of the Spokesperson

Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor Erin Barclay will travel to Belgium on April 23-26, where she will lead the U.S. delegation to the 2023 U.S.-EU Human Rights Consultations. The European Union delegation will be led by EU Special Representative for Human Rights Eamon Gilmore. While in Brussels, Acting Assistant Secretary Barclay will also meet with other EU and Belgian officials, as well as civil society leaders.

For media inquiries, please contact DRL-Press@state.gov.




Actions on the Lachin Corridor
04/23/2023


Actions on the Lachin Corridor
04/23/2023 01:17 PM EDT



Vedant Patel, Principal Deputy Spokesperson

The United States is deeply concerned that Azerbaijan’s establishment of a checkpoint on the Lachin corridor undermines efforts to establish confidence in the peace process. We reiterate that there should be free and open movement of people and commerce on the Lachin corridor and call on the parties to resume peace talks and refrain from provocations and hostile actions along the border.




U.S.-EU Consultations Reinforce Strong Commitment to Human Rights
04/24/2023

U.S.-EU Consultations Reinforce Strong Commitment to Human Rights
04/24/2023 01:06 PM EDT



Office of the Spokesperson

Today in Brussels, Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor Erin Barclay and EU Special Representative for Human Rights Eamon Gilmore co-chaired the 2023 U.S.-EU Human Rights Consultations.  The United States and EU reaffirmed their strong mutual commitment to the transatlantic partnership and underscored its centrality to defending human rights, democracy, and the rule of law worldwide.

The consultations covered a broad range of issues including the rights of women and gender equality, the protection of human rights defenders, technology and human rights, business and human rights, the rights of persons with disabilities, children’s rights, and the continued fight against racism and all forms of discrimination.  More than one year after Russia’s full-scale, unjustified, and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, both sides emphasized the imperative to hold accountable those responsible for war crimes and other atrocities in Ukraine. The discussions also covered a range of human rights issues and developments in Europe and the United States, as well as the human rights situation in several third countries, across all regions.

In addition, the consultations focused on cooperation in multilateral fora, including strengthening the UN human rights framework, particularly in the context of the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights this year.

The United States and EU concluded by agreeing to continue to reinforce their cooperation to effectively promote human rights, democracy, and the rule of law, at home and abroad.

For media inquiries, please contact DRL-Press@state.gov.


Renewal of the 2023-2024 Charter for the Advisory Committee for the Study of Eastern Europe and the Independent States of the Former Soviet Union
04/25/2023


Renewal of the 2023-2024 Charter for the Advisory Committee for the Study of Eastern Europe and the Independent States of the Former Soviet Union
04/25/2023 09:16 AM EDT



Office of the Spokesperson

The Department of State has renewed the Charter of the Advisory Committee for the Study of Eastern Europe and the Independent States of the Former Soviet Union. The Advisory Committee was established under the authority of 22 U.S.C. §4503 to provide advice and recommendations to the Secretary of State, or his or her designated representative, concerning implementation of the Research and Training on Eastern Europe and the Independent States of the Former Soviet Union Act of 1983 (the Act).

The Advisory Committee shall recommend grant policies to the Secretary of State for the advancement of the objectives of the Act. In proposing recipients for grants under the Act, the Advisory Committee shall give the highest priority to national organizations with an interest and expertise in conducting research and training concerning the countries of the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe and in disseminating the results of such.

The Advisory Committee is composed of the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of Education, the Librarian of Congress, the President of the Association for Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies, and the President of the Association of American Universities. The private members, or their designated representatives, act in a capacity to speak for their respective organizations.

All meetings of the Advisory Committee are open to the public unless the committee determines, in accordance with section 10(d) of the Federal Advisory Committee Act, that a meeting or a portion of the meeting should be closed to the public. The Advisory Committee will publish timely notice of each meeting, whether open or closed, in the Federal Register.

For more information, please contact: Robert Zimmerman, Title VIII Program Manager, Bureau of Intelligence and Research, Office of Analytic Outreach, tel. (202) 258-8024 or e-mail: TitleVIII@state.gov.




Kingdom of the Netherlands National Day
04/27/2023
Kingdom of the Netherlands National Day
04/27/2023 12:01 AM EDT



Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State

On behalf of the United States of America, I congratulate the people of the Kingdom of the Netherlands on Koningsdag.

The Netherlands extended the first international salute to the flag of our newly independent nation in 1776, recognizing a shared commitment to democratic principles, individual freedom, and human rights that continues today. The enduring relationship between the United States and the Netherlands powers our ability to collaborate in many areas to improve the lives of people everywhere. We are proud of our shared work to strengthen democracy and defend media freedom, notably through cohosting events during last month’s Summit for Democracy. We are also working together to ensure emerging technologies develop in alignment with our shared values.

Our nations have come together to support the people of Ukraine against Russia’s unjustified and brutal war. As founding members of NATO, we stand side-by-side to protect freedom in the face of authoritarian threats.

The people of the United States and the Netherlands will continue to work together and innovate to overcome global challenges. I look forward to creating a secure, sustainable, and prosperous future for our citizens.

Best wishes to the people of Netherlands. Fijne Koningsdag!




Sanctioning Russian Federation and Iranian State Actors Responsible for the Wrongful Detention of U.S. Nationals
04/27/2023

Sanctioning Russian Federation and Iranian State Actors Responsible for the Wrongful Detention of U.S. Nationals
04/27/2023 02:00 PM EDT



Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State

The United States has no higher commitment than bringing home wrongfully detained Americans. Today, we are promoting accountability for those responsible for wrongfully detaining U.S. nationals abroad. Our actions are a clear and direct warning to those around the world who wrongfully detain U.S. nationals of the potential consequences of their actions.

The Department of State is designating Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) for its involvement in the wrongful detention of at least one U.S. national abroad. The FSB has repeatedly been involved in the arrest, investigation, and detention of U.S. nationals wrongfully detained in Russia.

The Department is also designating Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Intelligence Organization (IRGC-IO) for its involvement in the wrongful detention of at least one U.S. national abroad. Concurrently, the Department of the Treasury is designating four senior officials in the IRGC-IO.

Russia’s and Iran’s continued pattern of wrongfully detaining U.S. nationals is unacceptable. The United States will never stop working to secure the release of U.S. nationals who are wrongfully detained or held hostage and reunite them with their loved ones. Today’s actions are one tool furthering that cause, and we will continue to use all authorities at our disposal to bring our people home.

In July 2022, the President signed E.O. 14078 to provide the U.S. government with expanded tools to deter and disrupt hostage-taking and wrongful detentions of U.S. nationals, including imposing financial sanctions and visa restrictions. State’s designations of the FSB and IRGC-IO are pursuant to Section 6(a)(i)(A) of E.O. 14078 for being responsible for or complicit in, directly or indirectly engaged in, or responsible for ordering, controlling, or otherwise directing, the wrongful detention of a U.S. national abroad. Treasury designations of senior IRGC-IO officials are under E.O. 14078 for acting or purporting to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, the IRGC-IO, a person whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to E.O. 14078.




Special Advisor on International Disability Rights Minkara’s Travel to Greece
04/28/2023

Special Advisor on International Disability Rights Minkara’s Travel to Greece
04/28/2023 08:34 AM EDT



Office of the Spokesperson

Special Advisor on International Disability Rights Sara Minkara traveled to Greece on April 24-28 to participate in the Delphi Economic Forum where she spoke about the importance of inclusive education, healthcare, and disability rights in the context of the climate crisis.

While in Athens, Special Advisor Minkara met with civil society and government officials to discuss inclusive education and inclusive tourism in Greece and to emphasize the value that persons with disabilities bring to all sectors of society when fully included.

Follow Special Advisor Minkara on the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor’s Facebook and Twitter @StateDRL and Instagram @usa_humanrights.

For media inquiries, please contact DRL-Press@state.gov.




Congratulating the Citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina on Formation of the Federation of BiH Government
04/28/2023


Congratulating the Citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina on Formation of the Federation of BiH Government
04/28/2023 03:33 PM EDT



Matthew Miller, Department Spokesperson

The United States congratulates the citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina on the formation of the new government of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. We encourage the new ruling coalition to move quickly to advance Bosnia and Herzegovina along its Euro-Atlantic path by implementing important socioeconomic, rule of law, and anticorruption reforms. The United States remains a committed partner to Bosnia and Herzegovina and its people as they build a future in the Euro-Atlantic community.




Secretary Blinken’s Call with Armenian Prime Minster Pashinyan
04/29/2023


Secretary Blinken’s Call with Armenian Prime Minster Pashinyan
04/29/2023 04:16 PM EDT



Office of the Spokesperson

The below is attributable to Spokesperson Matthew Miller:

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken spoke with Armenia’s Prime Minster Nikol Pashinyan today to underscore the importance of Armenia-Azerbaijan peace discussions and pledged continued U.S. support. Secretary Blinken reiterated that direct dialogue and diplomacy are the only path to a durable in the South Caucasus. He expressed his appreciation for the Prime Minister’s continued commitment to the peace process.




Secretary Blinken’s Call with Azerbaijani President Aliyev
04/30/2023


Secretary Blinken’s Call with Azerbaijani President Aliyev
04/30/2023 04:18 PM EDT



Office of the Spokesperson

The below is attributable to Spokesperson Matthew Miller:

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken spoke with Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev today to underscore the importance of Azerbaijan-Armenia peace discussions and pledged continued U.S. support. Secretary Blinken shared his belief that peace was possible. He also expressed the United States’ deep concern that Azerbaijan’s establishment of a checkpoint on the Lachin corridor undermines efforts to establish confidence in the peace process, and emphasized the importance of reopening the Lachin corridor to commercial and private vehicles as soon as possible.




Special Presidential Envoy for Climate Kerry’s Travel to Germany and the United Kingdom
05/01/2023


Special Presidential Envoy for Climate Kerry’s Travel to Germany and the United Kingdom
05/01/2023 03:10 PM EDT



Office of the Spokesperson

Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry will travel to Berlin, Germany, May 2-3 to participate in the Petersberg Climate Dialogue. While there, he will also meet with government counterparts to continue accelerating global cooperation on the climate crisis and clean energy transition. Kerry will then travel to London, May 4-6 to attend the coronation of King Charles III, and engage in further discussions on climate cooperation ahead of COP28.

For media inquiries, please contact ClimateComms@state.gov.


Sanctioning Terrorist Financing Facilitators Jointly with Türkiye
05/02/2023

Sanctioning Terrorist Financing Facilitators Jointly with Türkiye
05/02/2023 11:30 AM EDT



Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State

The United States continues to cooperate with the Republic of Türkiye to counter the financing of terrorist groups that perpetuate violence and instability in the region. Today, we are imposing sanctions on two financial facilitators for designated terrorist groups Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham and Katibat al-Tawhid wal-Jihad, both of which operate in Syria.

Concurrently, the Turkish Ministry of Treasury and Finance, together with the Ministry of Interior, has implemented an asset freeze against these terrorist facilitators. Today’s designations follow the joint U.S.-Turkish action on January 5 that disrupted critical nodes of a key ISIS financial facilitation network.

Today’s action underscores our commitment to collaborating with our Turkish partners in degrading terrorist financing networks across the region. The United States will continue to take actions to disrupt the flow of funds to terrorist groups worldwide.

Treasury is designating Omar Alsheak and Kubilay Sari pursuant to Executive Order 13224, as amended, which targets terrorist groups, their supporters, and associated assets. For more information about these designations, please see the Department of the Treasury’s press release.




Secretary Antony J. Blinken And Czech Republic Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský Before Their Meeting
05/02/2023

Secretary Antony J. Blinken And Czech Republic Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský Before Their Meeting
05/02/2023 12:10 PM EDT



Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State

Washington, D.C.

Thomas Jefferson Room

SECRETARY BLINKEN: Good morning, everyone. It’s a real pleasure to have Jan Lipavský here, and all our friends from the Czech Republic. We honestly could not ask for better partners, stronger partners. The Czech Republic is a highly valued NATO Ally for the United States and a democratic stronghold. And we deeply appreciate the remarkable collaboration we’ve had across a wide range of issues over the last couple of years.

Of course, the extraordinarily strong response to Russia’s aggression against Ukraine is at the top of the list and we are working hand-in-hand to continue to support Ukraine, to continue to exert pressure on Russia for its aggression against Ukraine, and of course to work on supporting refugees, humanitarian assistance, economic reconstruction. The Czech Republic has some 500,000 refugees from Ukraine, and that support is quite extraordinary.

At the same time, we – today, we’ll have a strategic dialogue, the annual strategic dialogue. We’re grateful that such a strong team is here, and Under Secretary Nuland will be leading that effort as well. And I also commend to you a statement we’re putting out, appropriately this week on World Press Freedom Day, on our joint commitment – longstanding, shared commitment – to media freedom around the world. And of course, the Czech Republic has, since 1995, hosted RFE/RL – something we are deeply grateful for, and sustaining that presence I think is more important than ever, particularly given the Russian aggression.

But to show the breadth and depth of this relationship, as the minister was saying, he’s going to head to NASA later to sign the Artemis Accords for our collaboration in space. And we’re also finalizing a defense cooperation agreement. So in these areas and so many others, we couldn’t be more grateful, including the Czech Republic’s engagement in Africa, in Asia as well.

So Jan, it’s wonderful to have you here, and I look forward to, as always, a very good conversation. Welcome.

FOREIGN MINISTER LIPAVSKÝ: Thank you. Mr. State Secretary, dear Tony, I would like to thank you for having this very important bilateral meeting, and also for the opportunity to again have an annual strategic dialogue between our countries, which shows that our relationship has never been as strong as in this moment. And of course, in a time of Russian imperial aggression against Ukraine, to recall the strength and durability of our relations is something which is very important. And we share values such as democracy, freedom, and respect for human rights, and that what makes our relationship special, and that’s why we so value it. And I’m great that during this meeting and the other meetings we will show that.

We will present the joint statement on media freedom during your visit here in Washington. So it’s a good opportunity to, again, reiterate what you have already mentioned, that we are proud to host Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty in Prague. And of course, independent media is one of our long-term priorities, as also precious legacy of our first president, Václav Havel. We have a special program for dissidents from Russia and Belarus for people who are fleeing from totalitarian regimes, and we are looking for new ways how to help in that matter.

So thank you very much again.

SECRETARY BLINKEN: Thank you, Jan. Thanks, everyone.




Secretary Blinken’s Meeting with Czech Foreign Minister Lipavský
05/02/2023
Secretary Blinken’s Meeting with Czech Foreign Minister Lipavský
05/02/2023 02:38 PM EDT



Office of the Spokesperson

The below is attributable to Spokesperson Matthew Miller:

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken met with Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský today as part of the U.S.-Czech Republic Strategic Dialogue.  Secretary Blinken expressed his strong commitment to continued close collaboration with the Czech Republic as a valued NATO Ally and key partner on regional security, military modernization, and civil nuclear cooperation.  They reiterated a shared commitment to supporting Ukraine in the face of Russia’s brutal invasion.  The Secretary and the Foreign Minister discussed shared concerns about the People’s Republic of China, as well as the importance of maintaining peace, stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific and beyond.  Secretary Blinken praised Czech leadership on human rights, democracy, and civil society issues and thanked the Czech Republic for hosting Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty in Prague since 1995.




Joint Statement on Media Freedom by the United States and the Czech Republic
05/02/2023


Joint Statement on Media Freedom by the United States and the Czech Republic
05/02/2023 04:21 PM EDT



Office of the Spokesperson

Secretary Blinken and Foreign Minister Lipavský, on behalf of the Governments of the United States and the Czech Republic, released the following joint statement.

Begin Text:

The United States and the Czech Republic share a vital stake in promoting democracy, civil society, and human rights, including the freedom of expression. The free and unfettered flow of information, ideas, and opinions — including dissenting ones — is essential to inclusive and tolerant societies. Media freedom and a vibrant independent press is a cornerstone for any healthy democracy and helps ensure information as a public good. An independent press helps citizens understand the forces that are shaping their lives and allows people to engage meaningfully in the political and civic spheres of their communities.

The United States is committed to a productive relationship with the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) and its grantees, including Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL). USAGM is an independent federal government agency funded by the U.S. Congress to promote democratic values, access to information, and media freedom around the world. The U.S. government respects the independence of USAGM and engages with its grantees as it would any other media outlet. This firewall is essential to USAGM’s important mission of providing objective, independent, and credible reporting to audiences around the world.

The Czech Republic notes that support for freedom of the press constitutes one of its key human rights priorities. Through the Transition Promotion Programme, the Czech Republic supports independent media worldwide and Prague has become an important center for the support of free media, especially in the post-Soviet space. The Czech Republic recalls that the Czech people benefited from independent sources of information such as RFE/RL broadcasting during their decades of subjugation by the Soviet Union.

The United States greatly appreciates that the Czech Republic has hosted RFE/RL since 1995. From its headquarters in Prague, RFE/RL today delivers news content on radio, television, and the internet to 23 countries in 27 languages. Its mission — to promote democratic values by providing accurate, uncensored news and open debate in countries where a free press is threatened and disinformation is pervasive — is as important as ever.

Because RFE/RL draws the ire of authoritarian regimes with its programming, it is a constant target of hostile governments. The United States and the Czech Republic note that, because of these threats, RFE/RL must compose its workforce with special care, and we stand united in strong support of the work of RFE/RL.

The Czech government is pleased to be RFE/RL’s partner in promoting human rights and democracy worldwide and reaffirms that RFE/RL is welcome to continue to be based in Prague. The United States and the Czech Republic will continue to collaborate to ensure that RFE/RL is able to continue to function effectively in its Prague headquarters, including on the issue of workforce management, bearing in mind the institution’s operational needs and the external threats that it faces.

The United States and the Czech Republic are proud to work to rally a broad coalition of our friends, partners, and Allies around the world to advance media freedom. We will continue to coordinate closely on this important issue.

End text.




Joint Statement on the Strategic Dialogue between the United States and the Czech Republic
05/02/2023


Joint Statement on the Strategic Dialogue between the United States and the Czech Republic
05/02/2023 04:21 PM EDT



Office of the Spokesperson

Secretary Blinken and Foreign Minister Lipavský, on behalf of the Governments of the United States and the Czech Republic, released the following joint statement.

Begin text:

The Governments of the United States and the Czech Republic renewed the U.S.-Czech Strategic Dialogue in Washington on May 2, 2023. The Strategic Dialogue demonstrates the strength of our bilateral relationship based on common values and our unwavering commitment to uphold the rules-based international order and to promote democracy, civil society, and human rights, as partners and Allies, fostering our security and economic prosperity.

The 11th round of the Strategic Dialogue was launched following the meeting of Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský with Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken. The discussion was opened by the Foreign Minister and Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland.

The Strategic Dialogue focused on reaffirming our strong and expanding bilateral cooperation on a broad range of topics. The Czech Republic and the United States stand resolutely with Ukraine and its people. In concert with our partners, we are supporting efforts by Ukraine and its people to defend itself and its democracy against Russia’s brutal war of aggression. We also discussed our work with partners and Allies to help Ukraine maintain economic and financial stability and support its recovery and reconstruction efforts.

Together with democratic allies and partners, we must stand united against authoritarian regimes’ attempts to re-define international rules. Russia must be held accountable for its actions in Ukraine. We will work together also to limit Russia´s malign activities around the world. The Czech Republic and the United States call on Russia to cease its military offensive and completely withdraw its forces from the territory of Ukraine, Moldova, and Georgia, and to respect internationally recognized borders.

The unity and solidarity of NATO is of vital importance. We support strengthening NATO’s deterrence and defence posture, particularly on the Alliance’s Eastern Flank. We welcome Finland’s membership in NATO and fully support swift membership for Sweden. We stand behind NATO’s open door policy. We look forward to this year’s Vilnius Summit. We will ensure NATO serves as the unique, essential, and indispensable transatlantic forum to consult, coordinate, and act on all matters related to our collective security. We appreciate deepening practical synergies and strategic unity between the EU and NATO.

On sanctions, the Czech Republic and the United States underscored our continuing coordination to promote accountability and use financial sanctions and export controls to limit Russia’s ability to continue its brutal and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. We discussed working with our Allies and partners to hold the Russian Federation and the Lukashenka regime in Belarus accountable for Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and the Lukashenka regime’s complicity in it.

On energy security, the Czech Republic and the United States discussed diversification from Russian energy sources, limiting Russian income from oil sales, and opportunities to accelerate renewable investment and development while also fostering cooperation on nuclear energy. Making bold investments to build clean energy economies and industrial bases is critical for achieving shared climate goals.

On the Indo-Pacific region, the Czech Republic and the United States discussed the current situation and the challenges posed by the People’s Republic of China to the rules-based international order and to our shared interests, security, and values. In the face of those challenges, we are working with our partners in and beyond the region to realize our shared vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific that is more connected, prosperous, secure, and resilient. We also affirmed our commitment to preserving peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, and to deepen support and cooperation with democratic partners in the region, including Taiwan. We reaffirm that transatlantic and Indo-Pacific security is indivisible.

On trade and investment, the Czech Republic and the United States reconfirmed our commitment to building collective, long-term, resilient supply chains based on international partnerships that are transparent, diverse, secure, and sustainable. We intend to consult on approaches to ensuring economic security, with the aim to increase strategic resilience against coercive pressures.

On cybersecurity and digital policy, the Czech Republic and the United States discussed further steps to ensure that digital technologies strengthen democracy and respect for human rights. We intend to increase capacity building in third countries to counter cyber threats, including from authoritarian state actors. We reiterated our commitment to fair and open digital trade and the need to oppose digital protectionism. We intend to continue our cooperation on ICT supply chain security and security of next-generation networks, including by promoting the Prague Proposals. We recognize ransomware as a serious and growing threat and are committed to continue cooperation in the framework of the International Counter Ransomware Initiative.

We reaffirmed the importance of the U.S.-EU Trade and Technology Council (TTC). The TTC will continue to play a key role in facilitating transatlantic trade and aligning transatlantic policy on critical emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence, which offer tremendous potential benefits to humanity but also create new risks to be mitigated.

In conjunction with the Strategic Dialogue, the Czech Republic and the United States issued a joint statement on media freedom. Media freedom and a vibrant independent press is a cornerstone for any healthy democracy. The United States and the Czech Republic are proud to work to rally a broad coalition of friends, partners, and allies around the world to advance media freedom.

The Czech Republic and the United States expressed a strong interest in continuing to deepen our strategic partnership. We intend to implement concrete activities in areas discussed before the next Strategic Dialogue, to be hosted in Prague in 2024.




Poland’s National Day
05/03/2023


Poland’s National Day
05/03/2023 12:01 AM EDT



Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State

On behalf of the United States of America, I extend our best wishes to the people of Poland as you honor the adoption of your first constitution 232 years ago today.

As President Biden said during his visit to Warsaw earlier this year, in moments of great upheaval and uncertainty, knowing what you stand for and knowing who you stand with makes all the difference. The people of Poland know that better than most – it is the true meaning of solidarity. The United States is proud to stand with Poland as friends, partners, and Allies, working side-by-side to defend freedom from tyranny and aggression, support Ukraine, impose consequences on Russia, and strengthen our collective security on NATO’s Eastern Flank.

Building on our shared values, we grow stronger and more successful because of our cooperation on important issues like clean and reliable energy security and expanded economic ties. I look forward to continuing to grow our partnership and our friendship in the year ahead.




The Czech Republic Signs the Artemis Accords
05/03/2023

The Czech Republic Signs the Artemis Accords
05/03/2023 10:53 AM EDT



Office of the Spokesperson

Acting Assistant Secretary Jennifer R. Littlejohn, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, and U.S. Ambassador to the Czech Republic Bijan Sabet welcomed the Czech Republic as the 24th Artemis Accords signatory at a ceremony on May 3 at NASA Headquarters. Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský signed on behalf of the Czech Republic and Czech Ambassador to the United States Miloslav Stašek also gave remarks.

Launched in 2020 with eight signatories, the Artemis Accords are a set of non-legally binding principles grounded in the Outer Space Treaty of 1967 to guide civil space exploration and use on the Moon and beyond. Accords principles include, among others, transparency, use of space for peaceful purposes, mitigation of space debris, disposal of spacecraft, deconfliction of lunar activities and registration of space objects. Following these principles will help make civil space exploration safer and more predictable for all and facilitate collaboration between signatories.

The Czech Republic joins 23 other Artemis Accords signatory nations: Australia, Bahrain, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, France, Israel, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Mexico, New Zealand, Nigeria, Poland, the Republic of Korea, Romania, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Ukraine, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Signatories demonstrate their commitment to responsible and sustainable behavior in space and actively contribute to multilateral conversations at the U.N. Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) and other fora.

Representatives of Artemis Accords signatories – Bahrain, Brazil, Canada, France, Israel, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Mexico, Poland, Romania, Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom – attended the ceremony to welcome the Czech Republic. For the United States, the Artemis Accords are co-led by the Department of State and NASA. Further information on the Artemis Accords. For media inquiries, please contact OES-PA-DG@state.gov.




U.S. Department of State Announces Reward Offers for Information Leading to the Arrest and/or Conviction of a Russian Cybercriminal and Identification of Key Leaders of a Transnational Organized Crime Group
05/03/2023


U.S. Department of State Announces Reward Offers for Information Leading to the Arrest and/or Conviction of a Russian Cybercriminal and Identification of Key Leaders of a Transnational Organized Crime Group
05/03/2023 12:41 PM EDT



Matthew Miller, Department Spokesperson

Today, the Department of State is announcing a reward offer of up to $10 million for Russian national Denis Gennadievich Kulkov, for information leading to his arrest and/or conviction for transnational organized crime. This announcement is made in conjunction with the announcement of charges against Kulkov by the U.S. Department of Justice. The Department of State is also announcing a second reward offer of up to $1 million for information leading to the identification of any other key leaders of the Try2Check transnational organized crime group.

One of the most visible and popular credit card checking services in the cybercrime underworld is a platform called Try2Check. Try2Check offers its users the ability to quickly determine the validity of a stolen credit card number, either singly or in bulk; users can upload thousands of card numbers at a time and receive an immediate report of which numbers are valid. Since 2013, the Try2Check platform has facilitated tens of millions of dollars in losses through credit card fraud each year.

Any information regarding these reward offers should be directed to the United States Secret Service at MostWanted@usss.dhs.gov.

For more information on the individuals listed above, please visit the TOCRP page.




Joint Statement on the Dialogue on Holocaust Issues
05/03/2023

Joint Statement on the Dialogue on Holocaust Issues
05/03/2023 01:15 PM EDT



Office of the Spokesperson

The text of the following statement was released by the Governments of the United States of America and the Federal Republic of Germany.

Begin Text

The Governments of the United States of America and the Federal Republic of Germany announce significant progress in their Dialogue on Holocaust Issues. Secretary of State Blinken and then-Federal Foreign Minister Maas launched the Dialogue in 2021 to counter the rise in Holocaust denial and distortion — a dangerous development that undermines freedom, democracy, and security — and to contribute to a world in which knowledge about the Holocaust is abundant, based on facts, and serves as a foundation for tackling today´s challenges at an early stage. The U.S. Department of State, the German Federal Foreign Office, the German Foundation Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, and the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum participate in the Dialogue. They have completed initial projects in three priority areas:

Promoting Innovative and Accurate Holocaust Education and Training

We have integrated Holocaust education into the flagship Program on Applied Security Studies at the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies. The Marshall Center is jointly funded and administered by the United States and Germany. Over 100 senior military and civilian officials from more than 30 countries attended the pilot module in 2022, which was designed to help professionals apply lessons from the Holocaust to their own work of protecting life and democratic principles while working in a multinational context. The module will become a permanent part of the Security Studies curriculum.

Quantifying and Evaluating Holocaust Denial and Distortion Online

Through the Dialogue, the U.S. Department of State produced a landmark study of online Holocaust Denial and Distortion. It examined online material in 12 languages to identify content, producers, and distribution patterns of Holocaust denial and distortion, producing a comprehensive survey for policymakers. The Federal Foreign Office has begun a complementary study of online Holocaust denial and distortion. The two studies will contribute to a solid, quantitative base from which to develop policy recommendations.

Countering Rehabilitation of Those who Participated in the Holocaust and Holocaust-era Crimes

The Dialogue examined the growing problem of “rehabilitating” individuals who participated in the crimes of the Holocaust, producing a study that will be available to help governments, civil society partners, NGOs, universities, subject matter experts, and other interested parties understand the problem and combat it. Rehabilitation takes place in many countries, for many reasons, ranging from transparent attempts to make heroes out of villains to serve contemporary political ends, to a lack of historical awareness. Regardless of the motivation, “rehabilitating” those who perpetrated the Holocaust can promote impunity for war criminals, normalize antisemitism, racism, discrimination, and exclusion, increase tensions between countries, and undermine public support for democratic institutions and values-based international structures.

The Governments of the Federal Republic of Germany and the United States are committed to continuing this Dialogue. Learning from the past, understanding what led to the Holocaust, and reflecting on its lessons and grave consequences is not only about ensuring a better future, but also about safeguarding our open democratic societies and ensuring our security now.

Each of the programs described will be developed further. We are discussing with the Marshall Center ways to expand cooperation, including developing a program on the history of the Holocaust in Ukraine. Once the German study is completed on Holocaust distortion and denial online, we will develop recommendations for policymakers. Both the U.S. Department of State and Federal Foreign Office agreed to educate their workforce about rehabilitation and to further intensify their exchange with experts. Information regarding the rehabilitation phenomenon will be shared with German and United States diplomatic missions and be publicly available once finalized. Future efforts may also include working to identify and address challenges to Holocaust remembrance in the face of Russia’s continued war of aggression against Ukraine.

End Text




Additional U.S. Security Assistance for Ukraine
05/03/2023


Additional U.S. Security Assistance for Ukraine
05/03/2023 02:10 PM EDT



Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State

We will continue to stand with our Ukrainian partners as they defend themselves from Russia’s war of aggression.

Pursuant to a delegation of authority from President Biden, I am authorizing our 37th drawdown of U.S. arms and equipment for Ukraine valued at $300 million.

This security assistance package includes: additional ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, howitzers, artillery and tank ammunition, anti-tank weapons, rockets, small arms and ammunition, trucks and trailers to transport heavy equipment, and spare parts and other field equipment essential to strengthening Ukraine’s defenders on the battlefield.

This latest package will help Ukraine continue to bravely defend itself in the face of Russia’s brutal, unprovoked, and unjustified war. Russia could end its war today. Until Russia does, the United States and our allies and partners will stand united with Ukraine, for as long as it takes.




Senior Official for Global Women’s Issues Fotovat Travels to the United Arab Emirates, Germany, Moldova, and Denmark
05/03/2023

Senior Official for Global Women’s Issues Fotovat Travels to the United Arab Emirates, Germany, Moldova, and Denmark
05/03/2023 04:16 PM EDT



Office of the Spokesperson

Senior Official to the Secretary of State in the Office of Global Women’s Issues Katrina Fotovat will travel to Dubai, United Arab Emirates; Berlin, Germany; Chisinau, Moldova; and Copenhagen, Denmark from May 3–16.

In the United Arab Emirates on May 3–7, Senior Official Fotovat will participate in the 2023 Global Summit of Women, “Women: Leading a New Climate of Change,” where she will engage with women leaders in business and government on ways to increase economic opportunities for women and girls in all their diversity. On May 4, Senior Official Fotovat will deliver remarks on the U.S. government’s recently launched U.S. Strategy on Global Women’s Economic Security at the Ministerial Roundtable on “Public/Private Sector Partnerships Advancing Economic Opportunity for Women and Girls.”

In Germany on May 8-9, Senior Official Fotovat will speak at a conference on “Women, Peace and Security and the Role of Parliaments” organized by the George C. Marshall Center for Strategic Studies, a partnership between the U.S. Department of Defense and the German Federal Ministry of Defense and the only bilateral Center among the six U.S. Department of Defense Regional Centers. She will engage with parliamentarians from Eastern and Southeastern Europe on the relationship between gender and security and the role of parliament in fostering the WPS agenda and reaffirm U.S. leadership on advancing WPS priorities across the globe.

In Moldova on May 10-13, Senior Official Fotovat will partake in high-level bilateral meetings with senior government officials focused on advancing gender equity and equality. During her visit, she will also meet with women leaders in the private sector and civil society spaces to advance the rights and status of women and girls. She will build upon the strong, longstanding partnership between the United States and Moldova to advance human rights, address gender-based violence, and ensure that all people fleeing Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine can find safety, security, and support.

In Denmark on May 13-16, Senior Official Fotovat will participate in meetings with multiple like-minded international partners convening at the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the spring International Atrocity Prevention Working Group meeting. These conversations will center around ongoing atrocity prevention efforts and opportunities for future coordination. Specifically, Senior Official Fotovat will discuss the ongoing prioritization of gender and conflict-related sexual violence in atrocity prevention and response policies, programs, and messaging. The U.S. delegation is composed of principals from multiple U.S. Department of State offices and the National Security Council.




Joint Statement on the United States-Turkmenistan Annual Bilateral Consultations
05/03/2023


Joint Statement on the United States-Turkmenistan Annual Bilateral Consultations
05/03/2023 06:04 PM EDT



Office of the Spokesperson

The text of the following statement was released by the Governments of the United States of America and Turkmenistan on the occasion of the United States-Turkmenistan Annual Bilateral Consultations (ABCs) in Washington.

Begin Text:

On April 24, 2023, U.S. Department of State Acting Assistant Secretary Elizabeth Horst and Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov of Turkmenistan led a successful ninth round of United States-Turkmenistan Annual Bilateral Consultations in Washington.

Acting Assistant Secretary Horst emphasized the United States’ unwavering support for Turkmenistan’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, and independence. Underscoring Secretary Blinken and Foreign Minister Meredov’s engagements this year, including their bilateral meetings in Astana on February 28 and in Washington on April 24, Acting Assistant Secretary Horst highlighted the Annual Bilateral Consultations as a platform to discuss joint challenges and achievements, advance bilateral and regional goals, and further strengthen U.S.-Turkmenistan partnership. The participants also affirmed their support for the C5+1 regional diplomatic platform for Central Asia and the United States.

Security, Political, and Educational Cooperation

The United States reiterated its support for Turkmenistan’s sovereignty and independence and its foreign policy principle of positive neutrality. Both countries shared a desire to discuss ways in which they can jointly promote a safe and secure Central Asia in the face of security threats, including terrorism, from within the region and beyond.

Both countries reaffirmed their commitment to cultural and educational programming as a core aspect of the bilateral relationship, and signed a Memorandum of Understanding on educational cooperation that will serve as a basis for continued joint efforts in this area.

Human Rights

The United States recognized the openness of Turkmenistan to multiple visits by the International Labour Organization (ILO) during the past year and the finalization of an action plan based on ILO standards to address forced labor. The Turkmen side expressed their intent to implement that action plan, including reforms to Turkmen labor law already recommended by the ILO.

The participants affirmed their commitment to discussing an array of human rights issues through regular meetings of the Human Dimension Working Group in Ashgabat.

Economics, Ecology, and Investment

The United States plans to continue to provide technical support to Turkmenistan as it pursues its goal of membership in the World Trade Organization.

The United States and Turkmenistan emphasized the importance of fighting climate change, particularly by reducing methane emissions. The United States and Turkmenistan stated their intentions to cooperate on deploying leak detection and repair solutions as well as develop a methane reduction investment plan in 2023 to control methane emissions in the oil and gas sector. To advance this work, the United States and Turkmenistan will form a working group on methane mitigation and will endeavor to feature methane mitigation outcomes by COP28.

Acting Assistant Secretary Horst and Foreign Minister Meredov expressed their desire to build on the high-level bilateral meetings and hold the next round of Annual Bilateral Consultations in Ashgabat in 2024.

End Text.




Secretary Antony J. Blinken at the Bilateral Peace Negotiation Closing Session with Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov
05/04/2023

Secretary Antony J. Blinken at the Bilateral Peace Negotiation Closing Session with Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov
05/04/2023 04:17 PM EDT



Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State

Arlington, Virginia

George P. Shultz National Foreign Affairs Training Center

SECRETARY BLINKEN: Good afternoon, everyone. I want to start by thanking our colleagues, both foreign ministers, their delegations for traveling here and for spending the time here in – at the Foreign Service Institute, and especially for their commitment to dialogue, and I think a recognition on the part of both Armenia and Azerbaijan that the only path to a lasting, durable peace is through dialogue. The United States is very happy to continue to offer its support, its engagement, its good offices to host this discussion and any future ones toward an enduring peace. That is the objective.

The two sides have discussed some very tough issues over the last few days and they’ve made tangible progress on a durable peace agreement. I hope that they see – and I believe that they do, as I do – that there is an agreement within sight, within reach. And achieving that agreement would be, I think, not only historic, but would be profoundly in the interests of the people of Azerbaijan and Armenia, and would have very positive effects even beyond their two countries.

I think the pace of the negotiations and the foundation that our colleagues have built shows that we really are within reach of an agreement. The last mile of any marathon is always the hardest; we know that. But the United States is here to continue to help both of our friends cross the finish line. And as I say, I think we’re very much within reach of that.

I have to say, finally, that the leadership that we’re seeing from both Armenia and Azerbaijan, and from my friends the foreign ministers, is inspiring. None of this is easy, but the commitment, the determination to move forward, to deal with the remaining challenging issues is real. And we feel, coming out of these few days, that, as I said, we’ve made very tangible progress. A final agreement is within reach, and we’re determined to continue to help our friends achieve it.

So with thanks to both of you, to both of your delegations, as well as to Prime Minister Pashinyan and President Aliyev for sending you here. I thank everyone, and we look forward to continuing.




Armenia-Azerbaijan Peace Negotiations
05/04/2023

Armenia-Azerbaijan Peace Negotiations
05/04/2023 04:41 PM EDT



Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State

This week I hosted Azerbaijan Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov and Armenia Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan for bilateral peace negotiations at the George P. Schultz National Foreign Affairs Training Center. After an intensive and constructive series of bilateral and trilateral discussions, the parties made significant progress in addressing difficult issues. Both demonstrated a sincere commitment to normalizing relations and ending the long-standing conflict between their two countries.

Both Armenia and Azerbaijan agreed in principle to certain terms and have a better understanding of one another’s positions on outstanding issues. I have proposed the Ministers to return to their capitals to share with their governments the perspective that, with additional goodwill, flexibility, and compromise, an agreement is within reach. They will continue to have the full support and engagement of the United States in their effort to secure a durable and sustainable peace.