Please accept my best wishes to the people of Kenya as you celebrate the 54thanniversary of the establishment of Kenya as a republic on December 12. Let us continue to work together toward our mutual goals of regional stability, security, democracy promotion, and economic prosperity.

In spite of this past year’s political and electoral challenges, the bonds between our governments and citizens remain strong and continue to flourish.

We are committed to remaining a steadfast partner and friend, collaborating with you to promote good governance, respect for human rights, rule of law, stronger democratic institutions, and a robust civil society.

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Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Thomas A. Shannon will lead the U.S. delegation to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) Joint Commission meeting in Vienna on December 13. Under the terms of the JCPOA, the Joint Commission is responsible for overseeing the implementation of the Iran nuclear deal. Participants include all the members of the P5+1 (China, France, Germany, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom, and the United States), the European Union, and Iran.

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 United States and Cuba held the 31st biannual Migration Talks in Washington, DC on Monday, December 11. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs John Creamer and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs Ed Ramotowski led the U.S. delegation. The Cuban delegation was led by Josefina Vidal, the Foreign Ministry’s Director General for U.S. Affairs.

The delegations discussed the significant reduction in irregular migration from Cuba to the United States since the implementation of the January 2017 Joint Statement. Apprehensions of Cuban migrants at U.S. ports of entry decreased by 64 percent from fiscal year 2016 to 2017, and maritime interdictions of Cuban migrants decreased by 71 percent. The United States confirmed it met its annual commitment in fiscal year 2017 to facilitate legal migration by issuing a minimum of 20,000 documents under the Migration Accords to Cubans to immigrate to the United States. The U.S. delegation also raised the need for increased Cuban cooperation in the return of Cubans with final orders of removal from the United States.

A strong migration policy is vital to the United States’ national security. The Migration Talks, which began in 1995, provide a forum for the United States and Cuba to review and coordinate efforts to ensure safe, legal, and orderly migration between Cuba and the United States. The talks were last held in April 2017.

For further information, please contact WHA Press at WHAPress@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.

The United States condemns President Maduro’s threat to ban opposition parties from participating in next year’s presidential elections. The Venezuelan people deserve the right to express their views and consent to governance through a free and fair democratic process that is open to all candidates. A presidential election cannot be legitimate if candidates and parties cannot freely participate.

The Venezuelan government and members of the political opposition are scheduled to meet on December 15 in the Dominican Republic to discuss the 2018 presidential elections’ timeline and processes. We call on the Government of Venezuela to agree to a timeline that allows for free, fair, transparent, and internationally observed presidential elections.

We continue to call on the Venezuelan government to immediately open a humanitarian channel to receive medicine and food assistance, to release political prisoners, to disband the illegal Constituent Assembly, and to respect the democratically elected National Assembly.

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.

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will deliver remarks at the 2017 Atlantic Council – Korea Foundation Forum at 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, December 12, 2017.

The event is open to credentialed members of the press. All interested press should RSVP no later than Monday, December 11 at 5:00 p.m. to the Atlantic Council by emailing press@atlanticcouncil.org. The Atlantic Council will provide information on preset times and media credentials upon receipt of an RSVP.

The Secretary’s remarks will be streamed live on www.state.gov and at http://www.atlanticcouncil.org/

For further information from the Department of State, please contact the Office of Press Relations at (202) 647-2492, or follow @StateDept on Twitter.

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.