The U.S. Department of State will host the plenary session of the tenth U.S.-Vietnam Joint Committee Meeting on Science and Technology, in cooperation with the Vietnamese Ministry of Science and Technology, to discuss opportunities for U.S.-Vietnam collaboration and ways to enhance science and technology cooperation on Wednesday, October 17, at the Department of State Annex located at 1800 G Street NW, Washington, DC, 20006.

Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs Judith Garber will provide opening remarks followed by Vice Minister Bui The Duy of the Vietnamese Ministry of Science and Technology.

The opening plenary session remarks, gift exchange, and speaker photo are open to the press beginning at 8:45 am. Pre-set time for cameras is 8:00 a.m. from 1800 G Street NW, Washington, DC 20006. Final access time for writers and stills is 8:30 a.m. from 1800 G Street NW, Washington, DC 20006.

Media representatives may attend through an RSVP to OES-PA-DG@state.gov. The day of the event, participants are asked to please provide one of the following: (1) a U.S. Government-issued photo media credential (e.g., Department of State, White House, Congress, Department of Defense or Foreign Press Center), or (2) an official photo identification card issued by their news organization, or (3) a letter from their employer on official letterhead verifying their current employment as a journalist.

Additionally, media must present an official government photo identification card for building access (i.e., U.S. driver’s license or passport).

For further information, please contact OES-PA-DG@state.gov.

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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.

Assistant Secretary of State for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) Kirsten D. Madison will travel to Kyiv, Ukraine, and Copenhagen, Denmark, October 17-23, to participate in anti-corruption focused events and discussions.

While in Ukraine, Assistant Secretary Madison will meet with officials from the National Anti-Corruption Bureau, the State Border Guard Service, and members of civil society to advance U.S.-supported justice sector reform in Ukraine. She will also give remarks at a graduation ceremony for the Patrol Police Academy, which the United States helped establish.

Following engagements in Ukraine, Assistant Secretary Madison will travel to Denmark to participate in the International Anti-Corruption Conference (IACC) on October 22. Organized by Transparency International, the IACC is the world’s premier global forum for bringing together senior government officials, civil society, and the private sector to tackle the increasingly complex challenges posed by corruption.

The State Department, through INL, combats corruption worldwide by helping governments and civil society build transparent and accountable public institutions. These efforts support the strong, stable, and fair societies overseas that offer a level playing field for U.S. businesses, and counter the transnational crime and instability that threatens Americans’ security.

For more information, please contact INL-PAPD@state.gov, and follow the INL Bureau @StateINL on Twitter and Facebook.

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 Sunday, President Donald J. Trump directed me to travel to Saudi Arabia to impress upon Saudi Arabia’s leadership that it is essential to determine what happened to Jamal Khashoggi. Today, I met with King Salman, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and Foreign Minister al-Jubeir and did just that.

We had direct and candid conversations. I emphasized the importance of conducting a thorough, transparent, and timely investigation, and the Saudi leadership pledged to deliver precisely on that.

This evening, the President called the Crown Prince, who conveyed that a serious and credible investigation is already underway. He pledged that the work of the Saudi public prosecutor will produce a full and complete conclusion with full transparency for the world to see.

During each of today’s meetings the Saudi leadership strongly denied any knowledge of what took place in their consulate in Istanbul.

My assessment from these meetings is that there is serious commitment to determine all the facts and ensure accountability, including accountability for Saudi Arabia’s senior leaders or senior officials.

The President has asked me to travel to Turkey to meet with senior leaders. We will remain in close contact with Saudi and Turkish authorities as they complete this process and ultimately announce their findings.

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.

Today the United States and Belize signed a new Air Transport Agreement. This Open Skies Agreement expands the two countries’ already strong commercial and economic ties by facilitating greater air travel and commerce. It will benefit airlines, travelers, businesses, shippers, airports, and localities by permitting unrestricted reciprocal market access for passenger and all-cargo airlines to fly between our two countries and beyond. The Agreement further commits both governments to high standards of safety and security. The Agreement entered into force today upon signature, superceding the U.S.-UK Air Services Agreement that has applied to U.S.-Belize air services since 1977.

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.

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On the occasion of the fifth meeting of the EU-U.S. Cyber Dialogue in Brussels on 10 September 2018, the European Union (EU) and United States reaffirmed their strong partnership in favour of a global, open, stable and secure cyberspace where the rule of law fully applies, where the same rights that individuals have offline are protected online, and where the security, economic growth, prosperity, and integrity of free and democratic societies is promoted and preserved.

During the dialogue, the EU and United States shared information on developments in their respective cyber strategies, policies, and legislation, including the EU Joint Communication on “Resilience, Deterrence and Defence: Building Strong Cybersecurity for the EU” and the U.S. recommendations on deterrence and international engagement pursuant to the U.S. Executive Order 13800 on “Strengthening the Cybersecurity of Federal Networks and Critical Infrastructure.” Both sides welcomed progress made to increase global capabilities to protect against, detect, deter, and respond to malicious cyber activities and underlined the need for coordination and cooperation in order to safeguard a global, open, stable, and secure cyberspace.

The EU and United States reaffirmed their strong commitment to human rights and fundamental freedoms online and condemned undue restrictions on freedom of expression and censorship in violation of international human rights law. The EU and United States also reaffirmed their strong support for the multi-stakeholder approach to Internet governance and encourage all stakeholders to strengthen existing Internet governance mechanisms, including the Internet Governance Forum as the premier multi-stakeholder venue for dialogue on Internet-related public policy issues. The EU and United States also underlined the need to address the digital divide to enable economic growth, social development, and increasing cyber resilience towards cyber threats and stressed their commitment to continued capacity building assistance to this end, including through the Global Forum for Cyber Expertise.

The EU and United States endorsed the work to date by the UN Group of Governmental Experts on Developments in the Field of Information and Telecommunications in the Context of International Security (UNGGE), including its landmark 2013 and 2015 reports, and look forward to a new UNGGE to take that work forward, including on the issue of how existing international law applies to State behaviour in cyberspace. The EU and United States reaffirmed their adherence to certain voluntary, non-binding norms of responsible State behaviour in cyberspace during peacetime. In addition, both sides welcomed important, ongoing work and progress on the development and implementation of cyber confidence building measures to reduce misperceptions and the risk of escalation stemming from the use of information and communications technologies. The EU and United States reaffirmed the importance of the Budapest Convention as a basis for national legislation and international cooperation in fighting cybercrime.

In order to keep cyberspace stable and secure, the EU and United States are committed to hold States accountable for actions that are contrary to the growing consensus on responsible state behaviour in cyberspace. The EU and United States affirmed the need to strengthen their cooperation in this regard, through both continued dialogue and practical collaborative efforts.

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The fifth EU-U.S. Cyber Dialogue took place on 10 September 2018 in Brussels, co-chaired by the EEAS Acting Head of Division for Security Policy Rory Domm and the U.S. Department of State Deputy Coordinator for Cyber Issues Michele Markoff. Both were joined by a number of directorates-general, departments, and other bodies. In addition, a number of EU Member States took part as observers. A stakeholder outreach event was also held in the margins of the dialogue. The next EU-U.S. Cyber Dialogue will take place in Washington in 2019.

For updates on U.S. cyber policy, follow the State Department’s Office of the Coordinator for Cyber Issues at @State_Cyber on Twitter. Please send interview requests to SCCI_Press@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.