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Regional Affairs

Secretary Blinken and Secretary Mayorkas to Deliver Remarks on New Regional Migration Management Measures with Partners in South and Central America

Release: Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken and Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas will deliver remarks on new regional migration management measures that the United States government will implement with partners in South and Central America when the CDC’s Title 42 public health order lifts. The remarks will begin today, April 27, at 11:30 a.m. ET, in the Press Briefing Room at the Department of State.


Regional Affairs

Sanctioning Terrorist Financing Facilitators Jointly with Türkiye

Release: 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.


Regional Affairs

Congratulations to Paraguay’s President-Elect Santiago Peña

Release: The United States congratulates the people of Paraguay on successfully holding free and fair elections on April 30. We congratulate President-elect Santiago Peña on his victory in the election. We applaud the efforts of the Superior Court of Electoral Justice and the work of international observation missions.


Regional Affairs

The Promotion to Career Ambassador of Under Secretary John R. Bass and Assistant Secretary Brian A. Nichols

Release: Since 1955, only 62 Foreign Service Officers have been awarded the title of Career Ambassador, the highest rank in the Senior Foreign Service. It brings me great pride to share that two of our most dedicated and experienced colleagues here at the Department of State, when confirmed, will be joining these ranks.


Regional Affairs

Secretary Antony J. Blinken Keynote Remarks at the Cities Summit of the Americas Closing Plenary

Release: SECRETARY BLINKEN: Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you. Good afternoon. It is wonderful to be with all of you here in Denver. And Mike, let me just say to you first off, I can’t thank you enough for your extraordinary leadership in bringing all of this together. The work you did to galvanize the community, to get the support that we needed for this summit, it’s a remarkable contribution not just to this community but to our entire hemisphere.


Regional Affairs

Secretary Antony J. Blinken and Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas at a Joint Press Availability

Release: SECRETARY BLINKEN: Well, good morning, everyone. Let me just say at the top that besides being delighted to be joined by Secretary Mayorkas, I also want to take this opportunity to say how thrilled I am that we have Matt Miller joining us as our new spokesperson. Probably have more to say on that in...


Regional Affairs

Secretary Antony J. Blinken Following a Visit to the Cities Summit Innovation Plaza Commercial Expo

Release: SECRETARY BLINKEN: Hey folks, I hope you got a chance to look around a little bit yourselves.


Regional Affairs

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

Release: 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.


Regional Affairs

Israel National Day

Release: On behalf of the United States of America, I want to offer congratulations to all Israelis on the 75th anniversary of Israel’s statehood.



Regional Affairs

U.S. Department of State Announces Reward Offers for Information Leading to the Arrests and/or Convictions of Three Transnational Criminals Violating DPRK Sanctions

Release: Today, the U.S. Department of State, through the Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program (TOCRP), is announcing a reward offer of up to $5,000,000 for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) national Sim Hyon-Sop. We are also offering...


Regional Affairs

Secretary Antony J. Blinken At a State Luncheon in Honor of Republic of Korea President Yoon Suk-Yeol

Release: SECRETARY BLINKEN: Please, take a seat. Thank you. Thank you, everyone. Please take a seat. Good afternoon, and welcome to the State Department. President Yoon, Mrs. Kim, it is a great pleasure to have you here with us today.


Regional Affairs

U.S. Support for the Philippines in the South China Sea

Release: The United States stands with The Philippines in the face of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) Coast Guard’s continued infringement upon freedom of navigation in the South China Sea. Imagery and video recently published in the media is a stark reminder of PRC harassment and intimidation of Philippine...


Regional Affairs

Joint Statement of the United States of America and Republic of Korea on Cooperation in Quantum Information Science and Technologies

Release: The following joint statement was released by the Governments of the United States and Republic of Korea on the occasion of a meeting between Dr. Arati Prabhakar, Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and Chief Science Advisor to President Biden and Dr. Lee Jong-ho, Minister for Science and Information and Communication Technologies for the Republic of Korea.


Regional Affairs

Secretary Antony J. Blinken And Turkmenistan Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov Before Their Meeting

Release: SECRETARY BLINKEN: Well, good afternoon, everyone. It’s a pleasure to be here with Foreign Minister Meredov. Rashid and I were together just about two months ago -.


Regional Affairs

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

Release: 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 ...


Regional Affairs

Secretary Blinken’s Meeting with Turkmenistan Foreign Minister Meredov

Release: The below is attributable to Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel.


Regional Affairs

Regional Conference of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) on Ending Human Trafficking 2023

Release: Good morning, Excellencies and distinguished participants in this important conference. My name is Cindy Dyer, and as the United States Ambassador-at-Large to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, I head the office at the U.S. Department of State that leads the United States’ global engagement to combat human trafficking and supports the coordination of anti-trafficking efforts across the U.S. government.


Regional Affairs

Joint Statement on the Third U.S.-Kenya Bilateral Strategic Dialogue

Release: The text of the following statement was released by the Governments of the United States of America and the Kenya on the occasion of U.S.-Kenya Bilateral Strategic Dialogue in Washington, D.C. on April 24, 2023.


Regional Affairs

Designating Iranian Officials in Connection with Serious Human Rights Abuses Or Censorship in Iran

Release: The United States condemns Iran’s continued human rights abuses and remains committed to supporting the people of Iran as they face the brutality of the Iranian regime and demand respect for their fundamental freedoms.