On Monday, April 23, 2018 the U.S. Department of State and the Business Council for International Understanding will co-host a business roundtable, in cooperation with the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to discuss opportunities for U.S.-Japan collaboration on infrastructure development in the Indo-Pacific region. The meeting will be held at 8:30 a.m. in the George C. Marshall Conference Center, at the Department of State.

Assistant Secretary for Economic and Business Affairs Manisha Singh will lead the event that will include approximately 100 U.S. and Japanese private sector representatives. The aim is to advance common interests raised during the U.S.-Japan Economic Dialogue, and public-private partnerships that to support best-value solutions to most effectively meet third-country economic and social sustainability goals.

There will be a camera spray preceding the Roundtable that is open to the press.

Pre-set time for cameras is 7:30 a.m. from the 21st Street entrance. Final access time for writers and stills is 8:00 a.m. from the 21st Street entrance.

Media representatives may attend this event upon presentation of 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, they must present an official government photo identification card (i.e., U.S. driver’s license or passport).

For further information, please contact Katina Adams at EAP-Press@state.gov or 202-647-2538, or visit @USAsiaPacific on Twitter.

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Acting Secretary of State John Sullivan will deliver on-camera remarks on the release of the 2017 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices at 1:00 p.m. on Friday, April 20, 2018, in the Press Briefing Room at the U.S. Department of State.

Ambassador Michael Kozak from the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor will take questions in the Briefing Room immediately following Acting Secretary Sullivan’s remarks.

Promoting and defending human rights and fundamental freedoms are central to who we are as a country, and the United States will continue to support those around the world struggling for human dignity and liberty. The 2017 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices are required by U.S. law and document the status of human rights and worker rights in nearly 200 countries and territories.

Remarks will be open to the press and streamed live on www.state.gov.

Journalists should be seated in the State Department’s Press Briefing Room (room 2209) no later than 12:45 p.m. It is accessible from the 23rd Street Entrance of the Department.

Media representatives may attend this event upon presentation of 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, they must present an official government photo identification card (i.e., U.S. driver’s license or passport).

Instructions for embargoed access to the reports will be sent to members of the press only, on Friday, April 20, 2018, at 11:00 a.m. The entire report is EMBARGOED until the end of the press briefing, approximately 2:00 p.m. After the briefing, the reports will be available to the public on www.state.gov.

For further information, please contact the Office of Press Relations on 202-647-2492 or PAPressDuty@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 U.S. Department of State hosted the second U.S.-Morocco Strategic Energy Working Group meeting in Washington, D.C. on April 19, 2018. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Energy Diplomacy Sandra Oudkirk and Director General Amina Benkhadra, National Bureau of Petroleum and Mines for Morocco, led the discussions.

Officials from the Department of Commerce also participated along with Moroccan delegation members from the Moroccan Agency for Sustainable Energy, Moroccan Agency for Energy Efficiency, the Research Institute for Renewable Energy and New Energies, and the Embassy of Morocco in Washington D.C.

Discussions focused on recent developments in the Moroccan energy sector, including hydrocarbons exploration, renewables deployment, and energy efficiency; on-going Department of State and Commerce initiatives in Morocco; areas for collaboration including natural gas, energy efficiency, and renewables; and private sector investment opportunities in the energy field.

As its demand for energy rises, Morocco is working to attract U.S. investment to help meet the needs of its growing economy. The United States is an ideal partner for advancing Morocco’s energy security goals.

This event exemplifies the strong U.S.-Morocco bilateral relationship and the significant strides we have made in energy sector collaboration over the last few years.

For further information, contact Vincent Campos, Spokesperson for the Bureau of Energy Resources, at CamposVM@state.gov or visit www.state.gov/e/enr. You can also find information on Twitter at @EnergyAtState.

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 fifteenth session of the Bilateral Consultative Commission under the U.S.-Russia New START Treaty was held in Geneva on April 10-20.

The U.S. and Russian delegations continued the discussion of practical issues related to the implementation of the Treaty.

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 below is attributable to Spokesperson Heather Nauert:‎

Acting Secretary John J. Sullivan met with UN Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen Martin Griffiths in Washington, D.C. During the meeting, Acting Secretary Sullivan thanked Special Envoy Griffiths for his work on the challenging conflict in Yemen and underscored U.S. support for efforts to restart talks among parties, including the framework for negotiations currently being developed.

The Acting Secretary and the Special Envoy discussed the dire humanitarian situation and delivery of aid to millions of civilians and refugees living in Yemen. The two agreed that the way forward to achieve peace, prosperity, and security in Yemen is through a comprehensive political agreement that will require compromise from all sides.

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.