The Department is publicly designating Albanian Member of Parliament Mr. Tom Doshi under Section 7031(c) of the FY 2017 Consolidated Appropriations Act, due to his involvement in significant corruption. Section 7031(c) provides that, in cases where the Secretary of State has credible information that foreign officials have been involved in significant corruption or gross violations of human rights, those individuals and their immediate family members are ineligible for entry into the United States.

The law also requires the Secretary of State to publicly or privately designate such officials and their family members. In addition to the designation of Mr. Doshi, the Department is also publicly designating Mr. Doshi’s spouse, Xhovana Doshi, his adult daughter, Briana Doshi, his adult son, James Doshi, and his minor children.

For more information, please contact INL-PAPD@state.gov.

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The Department of State’s Bureau of Energy Resources, in partnership with the Atlantic Council’s Global Energy Center and Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center, held a roundtable on Central American natural gas development in Washington D.C. on April 16.

Acting Special Envoy and Coordinator for International Energy Affairs John McCarrick and David Goldwyn, Chair of the Atlantic Council’s Energy Advisory Group and Senior Fellow at the Latin America Center, co-chaired a discussion with energy ministers and senior-level officials from Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Panama about ways to develop commercial natural gas power projects in the Central America region and the benefits of increased natural gas trade, including LNG, for regional economic development and competitiveness.

Acting Special Envoy McCarrick and Rosanety Barrios Beltran, Head of Industrial Transformation Policy of Mexico’s Energy Secretariat, also announced a new partnership in which the U.S. and Mexican governments will collaborate with countries in Central America to strengthen policy, regulatory, and investment frameworks for natural gas. The first of three workshops is scheduled to take place in Mexico City in May.

Senior-level participants from Central America also included: Guatemalan Minister of Energy and Mines Luis Chang, Honduran Minister of Energy Roberto Ordonez, Panamanian Secretary of Energy Victor Urrutia, CEO of the Costa Rican Electricity Institute (ICE) and ICE Group Carlos Obregon, El Salvadoran National Energy Council Executive Secretary Luis Reyes, Belizean Ambassador to the United States Daniel Gutierez, and Nicaraguan Electricity Market Director and System Operator Rodolfo Lopez.

Representatives from the Departments of Commerce and Energy, the Overseas Private Investment Corporation, the Export-Import Bank, the U.S. Trade and Development Agency, USAID, the Inter-American Development Bank, and U.S. energy companies also participated.

A recording of the event can be found archived on the Atlantic Council’s website, www.atlanticcouncil.org. For further information, please contact Vincent Campos at CamposVM@state.gov or @EnergyAtState.

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The below is attributable to Spokesperson Heather Nauert:

Acting Secretary of State John J. Sullivan met with the Caribbean Heads of Government and Foreign Ministers of The Bahamas, Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica, and St. Lucia on the margins of the Summit of the Americas in Lima, Peru on April 14.

During the meeting, the Acting Secretary underscored the U.S. commitment to enhance engagement with the Caribbean, as envisioned in the Caribbean 2020 strategy, including increasing private-sector investment in the Caribbean; ensuring a steady, long-term supply of clean, affordable energy to the region; building resilience to natural disasters; and supporting economic growth in the region for a more secure and prosperous hemisphere. Acting Secretary Sullivan also discussed the need to rally the hemisphere’s united support for the Venezuelan people and their right to have a voice in government through free and fair elections.

The Acting Secretary and the Caribbean leaders pledged continued engagement on security and energy initiatives, through the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative and the Caribbean Energy Security Initiative, as well as disaster preparedness and emergency response efforts.

The U.S. government provided nearly $22 million in humanitarian assistance to support immediate emergency relief efforts in Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Dominica, St. Kitts and Nevis, Saint-Martin, and Sint Maarten in response to the hurricanes last year. This assistance helped an estimated 83,800 people with more than 185 tons of supplies.

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The below is attributable to Spokesperson Heather Nauert:

Acting Secretary of State John J. Sullivan met with Haitian President Jovenel Moise on April 13, 2018 on the margins of the Summit of the Americas in Lima, Peru to discuss security and economic growth in Haiti, as well as democracy in the region.

Acting Secretary Sullivan thanked President Moise for his leadership as Chairman of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and urged consensus within the organization to promote and defend democracy. The Acting Secretary and President Moise also discussed the importance of continued support for the Haitian National Police.

The two leaders agreed that Haiti and its partners should increase efforts to improve the investment climate in Haiti to create jobs for Haitians and increase economic prosperity.

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Thank you, Mr. Vice President, and good afternoon to everyone. The Department of State is excited to be a part of the international support for Venezuelans who have fled to neighboring countries in search of safety, food, and the opportunity to live their lives in freedom. As Vice President Pence stated, the United States is providing nearly $16 million in additional humanitarian assistance to help meet the basic needs of these men and women who have lost everything to escape the Maduro regime.

This funding supports the regional response by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, international organizations, and NGOs responding to the crisis. This funding will provide support for the most vulnerable, security from violence and exploitation, and work and education opportunities for Venezuelan people.

We have been committed since the early stages of the crisis. Last year, UNHCR allocated more than $3 million provided by the United States to provide immediate humanitarian assistance. Recently, UNHCR issued a $46 million emergency appeal for Venezuela, covering nine countries across the region. For example, with this U.S. funding, UNHCR will work with local governments to increase registration of Venezuelans and support their access to local services such as healthcare, education, food, and shelter.

The United States is impressed by the generosity and compassion of those countries throughout the hemisphere who lead by example, hosting and providing humanitarian assistance to hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans. We also commend the humanitarian contributions from our partners in Asia and Europe, and encourage additional contributions to meet growing humanitarian needs. Unfortunately, the Maduro regime continues to reject offers of international assistance. President Maduro should welcome this international aid, including food and medicine, and we call on him to do so immediately.

The United States will continue to stand with the international community in support of the Venezuelan people and their right to have a voice in their government. Thank you.

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