Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken will visit Vienna, Seoul, Manila, Jeddah, and Cairo from March 14 to 22, 2024.
Secretary Blinken will attend the United Nations Committee on Narcotic Drugs (CND) in Vienna and serve as head of the U.S. delegation to the high-level meeting. At CND, the Secretary will emphasize that illegally manufactured synthetic drugs and their precursors are fueling a public health crisis impacting communities across the United States and around the world. The United States is seeking concrete commitments from countries to take domestic, regional, and international action to address synthetic drugs and their precursors. While in Vienna, Secretary Blinken will also meet with senior Austrian officials and International Atomic Energy Agency Director-General Rafael Grossi to discuss nuclear safety, security and safeguards issues.
In Seoul, Secretary Blinken will lead the U.S. delegation to the Third Democracy Summit hosted by South Korea, a gathering of government, civil society, and private sector leaders committed to strengthening democratic governance, protecting human rights, and advancing democracy. Meet in one place. fight against corruption. This summit shows how the United States and like-minded democracies organize to address the world's most pressing challenges. The United States will also highlight the progress made since the last Democracy Summit to combat the spread and misuse of commercial spyware. He is also scheduled to meet with Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul and other South Korean officials.
Secretary Blinken will meet with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Foreign Secretary Enrique Manalo in Manila to advance shared economic priorities and emphasize America's unwavering commitment to the U.S.-Philippine alliance. Secretary Blinken, President Marcos, and Secretary Manalo will promote U.S.-Philippine cooperation on a variety of bilateral and global issues, including regional peace and stability, human rights and democracy, economic prosperity, health, clean energy, semiconductors, and economic prosperity. We plan to discuss areas to deepen our understanding. digital economy.
Secretary Blinken will meet with Saudi leaders in Jeddah before heading to Cairo to meet with Egyptian leaders. During talks in Saudi Arabia and Egypt, the Secretary highlighted efforts to reach an immediate cease-fire agreement that would secure the release of all remaining hostages, increased international efforts to scale up humanitarian assistance to Gaza, and post-Conflict plans for Gaza. We plan to discuss adjustments related to this. To ensure that Hamas can no longer govern and repeat the attacks of October 7, for a political path for the Palestinian people with security with Israel, and for lasting peace and security in the region. The goal is to ensure the structure of He will also discuss the imperative to end Houthi attacks on commercial shipping and restore stability and security in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
In Israel, Secretary Blinken will discuss ongoing negotiations with Israeli government leaders to secure the release of all hostages. He will discuss the need to ensure the defeat of Hamas, including Rafah, in a way that protects civilians, does not hinder the delivery of humanitarian aid, and advances Israel's overall security. The Secretary will discuss U.S. and international efforts to dramatically expand and sustain the delivery of humanitarian assistance to civilians suffering from a lack of adequate food supplies. He will also update Israeli leaders on his talks with Arab leaders to build lasting peace and security for Israel, the Palestinians and the broader region.
