Press Releases: Secretary Pompeo’s Phone Call With Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos


Readout

Office of the Spokesperson

Washington, DC

May 25, 2018


The below is attributable to Spokesperson Heather Nauert:

Secretary Pompeo spoke by phone today with Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos. Secretary Pompeo and President Santos discussed the fraudulent elections held May 20 in Venezuela and the importance of standing together as democratic nations in support of the Venezuelan people and the restoration of their democracy. The Secretary recognized Colombia’s great compassion for Venezuelans fleeing this man-made crisis and highlighted the commitment of the United States to support Colombia’s efforts in this regard. They discussed the situation at the Hidroituango Dam in Antioquia department and Secretary Pompeo noted U.S. support as this matter proceeds.






Press Releases: On the National Dialogue in Nicaragua


Press Statement

Washington, DC

May 25, 2018


The United States condemns the recent violence perpetrated by government-controlled thugs, resulting in further deaths of demonstrators in Nicaragua. The Nicaraguan government must create the conditions conducive to a credible and inclusive dialogue and guarantee the safety of the participants.

We call on the Government of Nicaragua to fully implement the recommendations of the independent Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), and act upon its findings to ensure accountability and justice for human rights abuses and violations.

We are extremely concerned by the lack of progress on the national dialogue due to the government’s failure to credibly engage on democratization. We urge Nicaragua’s government to negotiate in good faith and return to the dialogue with an agenda to achieve a democratic future for all Nicaraguans.






Press Releases: Guyana’s Independence Day


Press Statement

Mike Pompeo

Secretary of State

Washington, DC

May 25, 2018


On behalf of President Trump and the people of the United States, I congratulate the people of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana on 52 years of independence on May 26.

Today, we celebrate our strong connections. We look forward to advancing prosperity by helping Guyana develop its emerging oil sector in partnership with U.S. business. We underscore our commitment to partnership via the Caribbean 2020 strategy.

We wish the people of Guyana, from the Corentyne to the Pakaraimas, from the Takutu to the Amakura, and across the entire “Land of Many Waters,” a happy Independence Day celebration with peace and prosperity throughout the year to come.






Press Releases: Secretary Pompeo To Release the 2017 International Religious Freedom Report


Notice to the Press

Office of the Spokesperson

Washington, DC

May 25, 2018


U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will deliver remarks on the release of the 2017 Annual Report on International Religious Freedom (IRF) at 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday, May 29, 2018, in the Press Briefing Room at the U.S. Department of State.

Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom Sam Brownback will take questions in the Briefing Room immediately following Secretary Pompeo’s remarks.

Religious freedom is both a core American value and a fundamental human right. Mandated by the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998, the International Religious Freedom Report details the status of religious freedom in nearly 200 foreign countries and describes U.S. actions and policies in support of religious freedom worldwide.

Remarks will be open to the press. The event will be streamed live on www.state.gov.

Journalists should be seated in the State Department’s press briefing room no later than 8:45 a.m. The press briefing room is accessible from the 23rd Street Entrance of the Department.

Media representatives may attend this event upon presentation of one of the following: (1) A U.S. Government-issued identification card (Department of State, White House, Congress, Department of Defense, or Foreign Press Center); (2) a media-issued photo identification card; or (3) a letter from their employer on letterhead verifying their employment as a journalist, accompanied by a government-issued photo identification card (driver’s license, passport).

Instructions for embargoed access to the report will be sent to members of the press only, on Tuesday, May 29, at 7:30 a.m. The entire report is EMBARGOED until the press briefing begins. The report will be available to the public on State.gov at approximately 9:30 am.

For more information, please contact DRL Press at DRL-Press@state.gov. Learn more about U.S. government engagement on international religious freedom by following @State_IRF or @StateDRL on Twitter.






Press Releases: The Shoot Down of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17


Press Statement

Heather Nauert

Department Spokesperson

Washington, DC

May 24, 2018


The United States has complete confidence in the findings of the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) as presented today by the Dutch Public Prosecutor: the missile launcher used to shoot down Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 originated from the 53rd Anti-aircraft Brigade of the Russian Federation, stationed in Kursk.

Today’s announcement confirms and adds detail to what we have said from the earliest days of this tragedy: MH17 was shot down by a Russian-made BUK surface-to-air missile fired from territory in eastern Ukraine controlled by Russia and Russia-led forces.

We recall the UN Security Council’s demand that “those responsible … be held to account and that all States cooperate fully with efforts to establish accountability.” We call upon Russia, in particular, to respect and adhere to UN Security Council Resolution 2166 (2014). It is time for Russia to cease its lies and account for its role in the shoot down.

We remain confident in the ability of the Dutch criminal justice system to prosecute those responsible in a manner that is fair and just.

We again extend our deepest sympathies to the families and friends of the victims and call for justice on behalf of the 298 innocent civilians who lost their lives on that day.