The below is attributable to Spokesperson Heather Nauert: ‎

Deputy Secretary of State John J. Sullivan met today with Colombian Foreign Minister Carlos Holmes Trujillo. They discussed the need for continued action to reduce coca cultivation and cocaine production in Colombia. They reaffirmed U.S. support for a just and lasting peace in Colombia, shared interest in continuing economic prosperity, and reviewed the Hemisphere’s support for the Venezuelan people and the restoration of democracy in Venezuela.

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Ambassador Michael G. Kozak will lead the U.S. delegation to the Human Dimension Implementation Meeting (HDIM) of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), to be held in Warsaw, Poland, September 10-21, 2018. This annual meeting will bring together hundreds of civil society representatives and government officials from North America, Europe, and Central Asia for talks to advance human rights and fundamental freedoms.

The participants will take stock of how the 57 OSCE participating States are implementing the full range of their human rights commitments, including those on: fundamental freedoms of expression, peaceful assembly, association and religion or belief; the rule of law, democratic elections and governance; media freedom online and offline, and combating anti-Semitism and other forms of intolerance.

A major U.S. focus will be Russia’s aggression in Ukraine, including abuses by Russia-led forces in the Donbas and occupation authorities in Crimea, as well as Russia’s serious human rights violations at home. We also will spotlight concerns in multiple countries of the OSCE region, such as: the shrinking space for civil society, persecution of human rights defenders, the safety of journalists, repressive measures against peaceful members of ethnic and religious groups, and hate crimes.

Members of the U.S. delegation to the 2018 HDIM include:

• Ambassador Michael G. Kozak, Senior Bureau Official, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, Head of Delegation;
• Ambassador Samuel D. Brownback, Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom;
• Michael J. Murphy, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs;
• Chargé d’Affaires Harry Kamian, U.S. Mission to the OSCE;
• Kristina Arriaga, Vice Chair, U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom;
• Kyle Parker, Chief of Staff, U.S. Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (U.S. Helsinki Commission).

For more information about the HDIM: https://www.osce.org/odihr/hdim_2018.

For more information about the U.S. Mission to the OSCE: http://osce.usmission.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.

We, the leaders of France, Germany, the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom, reiterate our outrage at the use of a chemical nerve agent, known as Novichok, in Salisbury on 4 March. We welcome the progress made in the investigation into the poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal, and take note of the attempted murder charges brought yesterday against two suspects. We commend the work of the UK Police and all those involved in this investigation.

We also note the UK’s analysis, independently verified by the OPCW, that the exact same chemical nerve agent was used in the poisoning of Dawn Sturgess and Charles Rowley as was used in the poisoning of the Skripals. We urge Russia to provide full disclosure of its Novichok programme to the OPCW. And we encourage those with information about the attack in Salisbury on 4 March, as well as the further poisoning in Amesbury, to come forward to the UK authorities.

We have full confidence in the British assessment that the two suspects were officers from the Russian military intelligence service, also known as the GRU, and that this operation was almost certainly approved at a senior government level. We have already taken action together to disrupt the activities of the GRU through the largest ever collective expulsion of undeclared intelligence officers. Yesterday’s announcement further strengthens our intent to continue to disrupt together the hostile activities of foreign intelligence networks on our territories, uphold the prohibition of chemical weapons, protect our citizens and defend ourselves from all forms of malign state activity directed against us and our societies.

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.

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.

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.

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.