We congratulate Turkish Airlines on its March 12, announcement to order 25 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners with an option for five more airplanes, and its subsequent agreement on April 25, to purchase GE engines for those planes. These deals together total over $10 billion, create and sustain more than 25,000 U.S. jobs, and underscore the expanding economic cooperation between the United States and Turkey.

American companies, including Boeing and GE, are dedicated to the Turkish market, and their investment in Turkey has built capacity, trained talent, and provided innovative solutions to fuel the region’s socio-economic growth. Especially in the field of aviation, American industry continues to create value-added manufacturing, exports, high technology jobs, and innovative R & D.

We congratulate GE, Boeing, Turkish Airlines, and the Government of Turkey on this important announcement and look forward to working with Turkey to deepen the U.S. – Turkey economic relationship.

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We have seen the Taliban’s announcement of their spring offensive. The announcement affirms the Taliban’s responsibility for the insecurity that destroys the lives of thousands of Afghans each year.

President Ghani recently extended an historic invitation for the Taliban to join a peace process, and there is no justification for the announcement of a new offensive. There is no need for a new “fighting season.” Still, the Taliban announced another campaign of senseless violence targeting the democratically elected and internationally recognized Afghan government and their fellow Afghans.

The United States stands with the Afghan people in response to the Taliban’s announcement. We support the brave Afghan security forces who are standing against the Taliban and terrorist groups that seek to destroy Afghan society. We commend the Afghan people, who are carrying on their lives, raising families, attending universities, building businesses, preparing for elections, and strengthening their communities despite violence and continued bloodshed.

As President Ghani recently said, the Taliban should turn their bullets and bombs into ballots. They should run for office. They should vote. We encourage Taliban leaders to return to Afghanistan from their foreign safe havens and work constructively for Afghanistan’s future. More violence will not bring peace and security to Afghanistan.

The Office of Website Management, Bureau of Public Affairs, manages this site as a portal for information from the U.S. State Department.
External links to other Internet sites should not be construed as an endorsement of the views or privacy policies contained therein.

The Department of State has concluded an administrative settlement with FLIR Systems, Inc. of Wilsonville, Oregon, to resolve alleged violations of the Arms Export Control Act (AECA), 22 U.S.C. § 2751 et seq., and the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), 22 CFR Parts 120-130. The Department of State and FLIR have reached this settlement following an extensive compliance review by the Office of Defense Trade Controls Compliance in the Department’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs.

The U.S. Department of State and FLIR have reached an agreement pursuant to ITAR § 128.11 to address alleged unauthorized exports of defense articles, including technical data; the unauthorized provision of defense services; violation of the terms of provisos or other limitations of license authorizations; and the failure to maintain specific records involving ITAR-controlled transactions. FLIR’s alleged unauthorized exports also included the retransfer of ITAR-controlled technical data and provision of defense services to dual national employees of Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, and Cuba to which the United States restricts exports of defense articles and defense services.

The settlement demonstrates the Department’s role in strengthening U.S. industry by protecting U.S. defense articles, including technical data, from unauthorized export through the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs’ Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (DDTC). The settlement also highlights the importance of ensuring effective oversight of intra-company transfers of controlled defense articles and the need to obtain appropriate authorization from the Department for such transfers to foreign-person employees.

Under the terms of the four-year Consent Agreement, FLIR will pay a civil penalty of $30,000,000. The Department has agreed to suspend $15,000,000 of this amount on the condition that the funds have or will be used for Department-approved Consent Agreement remedial compliance measures. Also, FLIR must hire an external Designated Official to oversee the Consent Agreement, which would require the company to conduct two external audits to assess and improve its compliance program during the Agreement term as well as implement additional compliance measures.

FLIR voluntarily disclosed certain alleged AECA and ITAR violations, which are resolved under this settlement to the Department. FLIR also acknowledged the serious nature of the alleged violations, cooperated with the Department’s review, and instituted a number of compliance program improvements during the course of the Department’s review. For these reasons, the Department has determined that an administrative debarment of FLIR is not appropriate at this time.

The Department’s Consent Agreement with FLIR Systems, Inc, and related documents will be available for public inspection in the Public Reading Room of the Department of State and on Penalty and Oversights Agreements section of the DDTC website.

For additional information, please contact the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs’ Office of Congressional and Public Affairs at pm-cpa@state.gov.

The Office of Website Management, Bureau of Public Affairs, manages this site as a portal for information from the U.S. State Department.
External links to other Internet sites should not be construed as an endorsement of the views or privacy policies contained therein.

On April 25, 2018, the U.S. Department of State published a Federal Register notice of 168 persons and entities who have been statutorily debarred for convictions of violating, or conspiring to violate, the Arms Export Control Act (22 U.S.C. 2751, et seq.). This action, as required by section 127.7(b) of the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) (22 CFR parts 120-130), highlights the Department’s responsibility to protect U.S. defense articles, including technical data, and defense services from unauthorized exports and brokering.

This notice is provided for purposes of making the public aware that these statutorily debarred persons are prohibited from participating directly or indirectly in activities regulated by the ITAR. This includes any brokering activities and any export from or temporary import into the United States of defense articles, related technical data, or defense services in any situation covered by the ITAR.

The Department’s Office of Defense Trade Controls Compliance in the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, working in collaboration with the Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Homeland Security Investigations, identified the persons subject to statutory debarment based on their criminal conviction by a court of the United States.

Under the terms of the statutory debarment, these individuals and entities are prohibited from participating directly or indirectly in any activities that are subject to the ITAR. Each individual and entity on this list will remain debarred until the Department approves an application request for reinstatement. All persons engaged in activities subject to the ITAR should be vigilant in their compliance with all export control regulations and ensure that their activities do not involve debarred persons.

The notice of statutory debarment listing the names of the debarred individuals and entities was published in the Federal Register on April 25, 2018. A full list of all persons subject to statutory debarment is available on the website of the Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (DDTC).

For additional information, please contact the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs’ Office of Congressional and Public Affairs at pm-cpa@state.gov.

The Office of Website Management, Bureau of Public Affairs, manages this site as a portal for information from the U.S. State Department.
External links to other Internet sites should not be construed as an endorsement of the views or privacy policies contained therein.

Acting Secretary of State John J. Sullivan will travel to Brussels, Belgium from April 26-27, to lead the U.S. delegation to the NATO Foreign Ministerial. The Acting Secretary will meet with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and join NATO Allies to discuss preparations for the NATO Summit that Heads of State and Government will attend in July.

While in Brussels, Acting Secretary Sullivan will also meet with State Department personnel.

The Office of Website Management, Bureau of Public Affairs, manages this site as a portal for information from the U.S. State Department.
External links to other Internet sites should not be construed as an endorsement of the views or privacy policies contained therein.