The below is attributable to Spokesperson Heather Nauert:‎

Secretary Michael R. Pompeo met with Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne today. The two praised the vibrancy of the bilateral relationship, including our joint efforts to promote a free, open, and prosperous Indo-Pacific. The ministers coordinated on our top foreign policy goals, particularly achieving a fully denuclearized North Korea. The two exchanged information on events and engagements around the just-completed UN General Assembly Leaders Week and on supporting the upcoming East Asia Summit in Singapore and the APEC Leaders Summit in Papua New Guinea. As part of our joint commitment to the Pacific, the ministers discussed opportunities to align our efforts on regional infrastructure needs. The two pledged to continue robust cooperation based on our mutual interests, principles, and values.

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The below is attributable to Spokesperson Heather Nauert:‎

Under Secretary Hale met today in Washington, DC with President of the Federated States of Micronesia Peter Christian. President Christian thanked the United States for assistance in responding to the recent plane crash in Chuuk. They discussed efforts to maintain pressure on North Korea, secure a free and open Indo Pacific, and strengthen the enduring bilateral relationship and the contributions of citizens of the Federated States of Micronesia to communities across the United States.

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Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan will present this year’s Awards for Corporate Excellence (ACE) on Friday, October 5, 2018, at 4:00 p.m. in the Benjamin Franklin Room at the Department of State.

Established in 1999, the award recognizes U.S. companies that represent American values well in their business practices worldwide.

This year’s ACE winners are: For Sustainable Operations, PVH Corp. in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; and for Women’s Economic Empowerment, Alaffia in Lome, Togo.

The ceremony will be open to the press.

Pre-set time for cameras: 3:00 p.m. from the 23rd Street entrance

Final access time for writers and still photographers: 3:30 p.m. from the 23rd street entrance

Media representatives may attend this briefing upon presentation of one of the following: (1) a U.S. Government-issued identification card (Department of State, White House, Congress, Department of Defense, or Foreign Press Center), (2) a media-issued photo identification card, or (3) a letter from their employer on letterhead verifying their employment as a journalist, accompanied by an official photo identification (driver’s license or passport).

For further information about access to the event, please contact the Department of State Office of Press Relations at (202) 647-2492 or PAPressDuty@state.gov. Media with further questions about the Award for Corporate Excellence may contact the Office of Economic Policy Analysis and Public Diplomacy at EPPDMedia@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 is pleased to be a signatory of the agreement to prevent unregulated commercial fishing on the high seas of the central Arctic Ocean. This is the first multilateral agreement of its kind to take a legally binding, precautionary approach to protect an area from commercial fishing before that fishing has begun. The signing ceremony will take place October 3 in Ilulissat, Greenland. Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans and Fisheries William Gibbons-Fly will head the U.S. delegation from the Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs.

Ice has traditionally covered the high seas of the central Arctic Ocean year-round. Recently, the melting of Arctic sea ice has left large areas of the high seas uncovered for much of the year. As a result, commercial fisheries in the central Arctic Ocean may become viable in areas where such activity was previously not possible. Prior to this agreement, no legally binding international agreement existed to manage potential fishing in the high seas of this region.

In 2009, the United States closed the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) north of Alaska to commercial fishing until such time as domestic fisheries managers have sufficient information about the ecosystem to allow fishing to proceed on a well-regulated basis. U.S. stakeholders, including the Alaska-based fishing industry, have been concerned foreign fishing vessels could begin fishing here in the foreseeable future. At a time when U.S. vessels cannot fish within the U.S. EEZ, the United States has negotiated this new fisheries agreement for the central Arctic Ocean that reduces the chance that foreign vessels will fish just beyond the U.S. EEZ.

Initial negotiations among the five coastal parties of the central Arctic Ocean—Canada, Denmark (for Greenland and the Faroe Islands), Norway, Russia, and the United States—resulted in the non-legally binding Oslo Declaration signed on July 16, 2015. The Oslo Declaration recognized other governments may have an interest in potential Arctic fisheries. In December 2015 ten parties, including the five Oslo Declaration signatories, as well as China, Iceland, Japan, the Republic of Korea, and the European Union, entered into negotiations towards a legally-binding agreement. The negotiations toward this legally binding agreement concluded November 30, 2017.

For press inquiries, 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.

The United States welcomes the results of the Republic of Macedonia’s September 30 referendum, in which citizens expressed their support for NATO and European Union (EU) membership by accepting the Prespa Agreement between Macedonia and Greece. The United States strongly supports the Agreement’s full implementation, which will allow Macedonia to take its rightful place in NATO and the EU, contributing to regional stability, security, and prosperity.

As Macedonia’s parliament now begins deliberation on constitutional changes, we urge leaders to rise above partisan politics and seize this historic opportunity to secure a brighter future for the country as a full participant in Western institutions.

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.