Press Releases: Assistant Secretary Nagy Travels to the United Kingdom, France, Togo, Guinea, Mali, and Nigeria


Media Note

Office of the Spokesperson

Washington, DC

October 22, 2018


Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of African Affairs Tibor P. Nagy will travel to the United Kingdom, France, Togo, Guinea, Mali, and Nigeria October 29 – November 10.

During his trip, Assistant Secretary Nagy will focus on promoting stronger trade and commercial ties between the United States and Africa, harnessing the potential of Africa’s youth, advancing peace and security through partnerships, and conveying the United States’ unwavering commitment to Africa.

In the United Kingdom and France, the Assistant Secretary will conduct bilateral meetings with his British and French counterparts.

Assistant Secretary Nagy will then travel to Lomé, Togo on November 1 where he will meet with Togolese government officials, and lead a regional U.S. Chiefs of Mission Conference.

In Conakry, Guinea, November 2-4, Assistant Secretary Nagy will conduct bilateral meetings with Guinea government officials, host a business roundtable, and meet with alumni of the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI).

In Bamako, Mali on October 4-7, Assistant Secretary Nagy will hold meetings with Malian government officials, host a trade and entrepreneurship roundtable, and meet with YALI alumni.

The final stop on the trip will be Abuja, Nigeria. Assistant Secretary Nagy will have meetings with government officials, members of the American business community, religious leaders, civil society organizations, youth groups, and he will deliver a speech at Baze University on U.S.-Africa relations.

Follow @AsstSecStateAF on Twitter for trip updates. For press inquiries, please contact AF-Press@state.gov.






Press Releases: Cameroon’s Presidential Election Results


Press Statement

Heather Nauert

Department Spokesperson

Washington, DC

October 22, 2018


The United States congratulates the people of Cameroon for largely peaceful elections on October 7. We urge all parties – including the government – to respect the rule of law, resolve peacefully any disputes through established legal channels, and avoid hate speech.

While we welcome the Cameroonian Election Commission’s demonstrable improvement over the 2011 elections, there were a number of irregularities prior to, during, and after the October 7 election. These irregularities may not have affected the outcome but created an impression that the election was not credible or genuinely free and fair. We commend the African Union Election Observation Mission for its preliminary statement, notably that “the current framework needs to be strengthened in order to safeguard the democratic principles of separation of powers, fairness, and independence and impartiality.”

With the conclusion of the presidential election, the United States strongly encourages both sides involved in the conflict affecting the Northwest and Southwest Regions of Cameroon to focus on resolving differences through peaceful dialogue and to allow unhindered access to humanitarian aid workers.






Press Releases: Migrant Caravan


Press Statement

Michael R. Pompeo

Secretary of State

Washington, DC

October 21, 2018


The United States is closely following the migrant caravan, in which thousands of migrants from Honduras and other countries continue to make a dangerous journey through Guatemala and into Mexico. Many migrants are attempting to transit these countries and in the process are violating their sovereignty, their laws, and their procedures. As President Trump has stated, consistent with U.S. law, the United States will not allow illegal immigrants to enter or remain in the United States.

We are concerned that these migrants may be victimized by human smugglers or others who would exploit them. We also are deeply concerned by the violence provoked by some members of the group, as well as the apparent political motivation of some organizers of the caravan.

We understand Mexico will detain and repatriate migrants who enter Mexico in violation of Mexican law, and in instances where migrants apply for asylum, process the requests in accordance with Mexican law. We also understand that those who do not qualify will be returned in a safe and orderly process, consistent with Mexican law.

We welcome the Government of Mexico’s collaboration with the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) to address refugee and migration issues in the region, including the influx of people arriving in Mexico. The United States stands ready to assist the Government of Mexico in this effort.






Press Releases: Elections in Bhutan


Press Statement

Heather Nauert

Department Spokesperson

Washington, DC

October 21, 2018


The United States congratulates the people of Bhutan on the conclusion of successful national elections, and Dr. Lotay Tshering on the victory of his party. The United States commends the evolution of democracy in Bhutan, which has been an inspiration to the region. We look forward to working with Dr. Tshering and his government to further develop friendly relations between our countries and our peoples.






Press Releases: Secretary Pompeo’s Meetings With Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto and Foreign Secretary Luis Videgaray


Readout

Office of the Spokesperson

Washington, DC

October 20, 2018


The below is attributable to Spokesperson Heather Nauert:‎

Secretary Pompeo met with Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto and Foreign Secretary Luis Videgaray yesterday in Mexico City. They discussed the caravan of migrants from Central America. The Mexican Government is fully engaged in finding a solution that encourages safe, secure, and orderly migration, and both the United States and Mexico continue to work with Central American governments to address the economic, security, and governance drivers of illegal immigration.

They also discussed U.S.-Mexico cooperation on a range of regional and global issues, including Mexico’s leadership on Venezuela with the Lima Group as well as combatting transnational criminal organizations. Secretary Pompeo expressed appreciation for Mexico’s efforts to complete the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), which benefits all three countries.