In a demonstration of enduring friendship and the important bilateral partnership, U.S. Ambassador Geoffrey R. Pyatt broke ground today on the U.S. Chancery Major Rehabilitation in Athens, Greece.

The major rehabilitation will provide a secure, modern, and sustainable platform for diplomacy. The project is expected to be completed in 2022.

Ann Beha Architects of Boston, Massachusetts is the design architect for the project and Caddell Construction Co. of Montgomery, Alabama is the construction contractor.

Since 1999, as part of the Department’s Capital Security Construction Program, the Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations (OBO) has completed 148 new diplomatic facilities and has an additional 54 projects in design or under construction.

OBO’s mission is to provide safe, secure, and functional facilities that represent the U.S. government to host nations and support staff in achieving U.S. foreign policy objectives. These facilities represent U.S. values and the best in U.S. architecture, engineering, technology, sustainability, art, culture, and construction execution.

For further information, please contact Christy Foushee at FousheeCT@state.gov, or visit www.state.gov/obo.

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A meeting of the Department of State’s Advisory Committee on International Law will take place on Thursday, September 27, 2018, from 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the George Washington University Law School, Michael K. Young Faculty Conference Center, 716 20th St. NW, 5th Floor, Washington, D.C.

Legal Adviser Jennifer Newstead will chair the meeting, which will be open to the public up to the capacity of the meeting room. It is anticipated that the meeting will include discussions on international law and contemporary issues in outer space, the role of economic security considerations in international and domestic trade law, international law and privacy in the context of data transfers, and the work of the International Law Commission.

Members of the public who wish to attend should contact the Office of the Legal Adviser by September 21 at kellybm@state.gov or 202-647-0359 and provide their name, professional affiliation, address, and phone number. A valid photo ID is required for admission to the meeting.

Attendees who require reasonable accommodation should make their requests by September 18. Requests received after that date will be considered but might not be possible to accommodate.

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.

SECRETARY POMPEO: (In progress) well as General Bajwa in a number of settings. We talked about their new government, the opportunity to reset the relationship between our two countries across a broad spectrum – economic, business, and commercial, the work that we all know that we need to do to try and develop a peaceful resolution in Afghanistan, which benefits certainly Afghanistan but also the United States and Pakistan. And I’m hopeful that the foundation that we laid today will set the conditions for continued success as we start to move forward.

GENERAL DUNFORD: And my job was to help support the Secretary as he – as he sought to reset the relationship. When we talked to General Bajwa on the military-to-military level, we agreed that – we listened to the prime minister very carefully, we listened to the Secretary very carefully. Their objectives were very consistent between the Secretary and the prime minister, and General Bajwa and I agreed that we will leverage the military-to-military relationship to support the Secretary and the prime minister, and more importantly, President Trump’s South Asia strategy.

MS NAUERT: Take a couple of questions.

QUESTION: Did you get any firm commitments from the Pakistanis that would potentially merit the resumption of military security assistance? Do you think they are a reliable partner going forward?

SECRETARY POMPEO: So we’ve still got a long way to go, lots more discussion to be had, but the relationship military to military is one that has remained in a place where some of the other relationships haven’t, frankly. They’ve still continued to have relationships, worked on lots of projects that are important together, and I hope we can use that as one of the foundational elements as well.

QUESTION: Will the GLOCs continue to stay open? Did the Pakistanis raise the issue of GLOC access?

GENERAL DUNFORD: We don’t – we don’t have any reason to indicate that our cooperation in keeping the GLOCs open is going to change. That’s —

MS NAUERT: Let’s do a last question.

QUESTION: Was there any kind of U.S. warning of increased punitive action that financially sanctions against certain Pakistani individuals delivered during these talks that – if they don’t change their behavior, there’s next steps?

SECRETARY POMPEO: We made clear to them that – and they agreed – it’s time for us to begin to deliver on our joint commitments, right. So we’ve had lots of times where we’ve talked and made agreements, but we haven’t been able to actually execute those. And so there was broad agreement between myself and Foreign Minister Qureshi, as well as with the prime minister, that we need to begin to do things that will begin to actually, on the ground, deliver outcomes so that we can begin to build confidence and trust between the two countries. That was the focus of the gathering.

MS NAUERT: All right. Thanks, everybody. Thank you.

SECRETARY POMPEO: Thanks.

QUESTION: Thanks for doing this.

SECRETARY POMPEO: Thanks, everybody.

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External links to other Internet sites should not be construed as an endorsement of the views or privacy policies contained therein.

The below is attributable to Spokesperson Heather Nauert:‎

Secretary Michael R. Pompeo met today in Islamabad, Pakistan with Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, and other civilian and military leadership. He was accompanied by Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Joseph F. Dunford, Jr. Congratulating the Prime Minister on the formation of his government, the Secretary welcomed the further strengthening of civilian institutions. Secretary Pompeo also highlighted the importance of the U.S.-Pakistan relationship, and underscored areas of shared interest, such as the expansion of two-way trade and commercial ties.

While meeting with Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Secretary Pompeo discussed the potential for the United States and Pakistan to work together to advance joint priorities, including regional peace and stability. He also emphasized the value of strong people-to-people ties between our nations, built on decades of cultural and educational exchanges.

During his meeting with Pakistani Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Bajwa, Secretary Pompeo welcomed the smooth transition of power to a new civilian government, stressing the importance of strong democratic institutions. Secretary Pompeo also expressed hope for deeper counter terrorism cooperation between our nations.

In all of his meetings, Secretary Pompeo emphasized the important role Pakistan could play in bringing about a negotiated peace in Afghanistan, and conveyed the need for Pakistan to take sustained and decisive measures against terrorists and militants threatening regional peace and stability.

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 designated Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) as a Foreign Terrorist Organization under section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act. The Department has also designated JNIM as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) under section 1(b) of Executive Order (E.O.) 13224.

Today’s designations seek to deny JNIM the resources to plan and carry out terrorist attacks. Among other consequences, all of JNIM’s property and interests in property subject to U.S. jurisdiction are blocked, and U.S. persons are generally prohibited from engaging in any transactions with JNIM. It is a crime to knowingly provide, or to attempt or conspire to provide, material support or resources to JNIM.

JNIM has described itself as al-Qaida’s official branch in Mali, and it has claimed responsibility for numerous attacks and kidnappings since it was formed in March 2017. JNIM carried out the June 2017 attack at a resort frequented by Westerners outside of Bamako, Mali; several deadly attacks on Malian troops; and the large-scale coordinated attacks in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, on March 2, 2018. JNIM is led by Iyad ag Ghaly, a U.S.-designated SDGT.

The Coordinator for Counterterrorism, Ambassador Nathan A. Sales, noted that “Al-Qaida and its affiliates like JNIM remain deadly threats to the United States and our allies. These designations are part of our continuing efforts to squeeze al-Qaida’s finances, denying it the resources it needs to carry out attacks.”

Today’s designations notify the U.S. public and the international community that JNIM is a terrorist organization. Terrorist designations expose and isolate entities and individuals, and deny them access to the U.S. financial system. Moreover, designations can assist the law enforcement activities of U.S. agencies and other governments.

A list of State Department-designated FTOs and SDGTs is available here: http://www.state.gov/j/ct/list/index.htm.

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.