Ambassador Tina Kaidanow, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs, will travel to Vietnam and Singapore January 28-February 7.

In Vietnam, Ambassador Kaidanow will lead the U.S. delegation at the ninth U.S.-Vietnam Political, Security, and Defense Dialogue. These talks will further promote the robust and growing bilateral relationship between the United States and Vietnam and reflect our shared commitment to ensuring a peaceful, stable, and secure Indo-Pacific region. Topics to be discussed include security cooperation and defense trade, maritime security, peacekeeping, counter-terrorism, and humanitarian issues. Ambassador Kaidanow will also visit ongoing U.S.-funded efforts to survey and clear unexploded ordnance, as well as meet with representatives of Vietnam’s Coast Guard aboard a recently transferred coast guard cutter from the U.S. Coast Guard.

In Singapore, Ambassador Kaidanow will join a delegation of senior U.S. officials at the Singapore Air Show, where she will hold consultations on defense trade issues and promote more than 150 U.S. companies and trade organizations exhibiting the latest aerospace technologies. Ambassador Kaidanow will also meet with U.S. industry executives as well as senior civilian and military officials from countries across the globe during the air show to discuss regional security, maritime security, and defense trade issues.

For further information, please contact the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, Office of Congressional and Public Affairs at PM-CPA@state.gov and follow @StateDeptPM on Twitter.

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U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will travel to Austin, Texas, and then to Mexico City, Mexico; Bariloche and Buenos Aires, Argentina; Lima, Perú; Bogotá, Colombia; and Kingston, Jamaica on February 1-7. The Secretary will engage with regional partners to promote a safe, prosperous, energy secure, and democratic hemisphere. Throughout his travel, Secretary Tillerson will advocate for increased regional attention to the crisis in Venezuela.

At the start of his trip in Austin, Secretary Tillerson will outline the Administration’s Western Hemisphere policy priorities in an address at the University of Texas at Austin.

The Secretary will travel to Mexico City on February 1, where he will meet with President Enrique Peña Nieto, Foreign Secretary Luis Videgaray, and other senior Mexican officials to discuss the U.S.-Mexico partnership on a range of bilateral, regional, and global priorities.

On February 3, Secretary Tillerson will travel to Bariloche, where he will discuss scientific exchanges and conservation practices at the Nahuel Haupi National Park. He will then travel to Buenos Aires to meet with President Mauricio Macri and Foreign Minister Jorge Faurie to discuss our bilateral economic growth agenda and security cooperation.

In Lima on February 5-6, Secretary Tillerson will meet with President Kuczynski and Foreign Minister Cayetana Aljovín to discuss our bilateral and regional partnership and issues including preparations for a successful Summit of the Americas.

The Secretary will travel to Bogotá on February 6, where he will meet with President Juan Manuel Santos, Foreign Minister María Ángela Holguín, and other senior Colombian officials to discuss matters of importance including U.S. support for Colombia’s efforts to address the surge in coca cultivation and cocaine production, economic issues, and the growing refugee population.

Secretary Tillerson will wrap up his travel in Kingston on February 7. He will meet with Prime Minister Andrew Holness and Foreign Minister Kamina Johnson-Smith to discuss bilateral and regional security, energy efforts, and Jamaica’s successful economic reform efforts.

For further information, please contact the Office of Press Relations at PAPressDuty@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 condemns the Russian Federation’s ratification of an agreement with the de facto leaders in Georgia’s breakaway region of South Ossetia regarding a joint military force. We do not recognize the legitimacy of this so-called “treaty,” which does not constitute a valid international agreement.

The United States’ position on Abkhazia and South Ossetia is unwavering: The United States fully supports Georgia’s territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders.

The United States views ratification of this agreement as inconsistent with the principles underlying the Geneva International Discussions, to which Russia is a participant. The United States urges Russia to withdraw its forces to pre-war positions per the 2008 ceasefire agreement and reverse its recognition of the Georgian regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

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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 governments of the United States and Mexico are pleased to announce the opening of the newly realigned segment of the Interstate 5 (I-5) south freeway to Mexico at the San Ysidro Land Port of Entry (LPOE) on January 25.

The new temporary segment offers a softened curve to the Mexican inspection station, El Chaparral, in Tijuana. Additionally, this project milestone clears the way for the expansion and permanent realignment of the I-5 south freeway to ten southbound vehicle lanes as well as the construction of 15 additional northbound vehicle inspection booths over eight lanes. These facilities will, when completed, complement the Government of Mexico’s El Chaparral inspection facility completed in 2012.

This work underscores the close collaboration between the governments of the United States and Mexico as well as state and local government agencies involved with the San Ysidro LPOE modernization and expansion project. The shared goal is to provide improved border infrastructure to facilitate travel between both nations. San Ysidro is the busiest land border crossing in the Western Hemisphere with more than 70,000 northbound vehicle passengers and 20,000 northbound pedestrians daily.

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.

QUESTION: Mr. Tillerson, did you propose a safe zone to the Turkish foreign minister in Syria?

SECRETARY TILLERSON: We discussed a number of possible options, but we didn’t propose anything.

QUESTION: You arrived today?

SECRETARY TILLERSON: About an hour and a half ago.

QUESTION: (Inaudible.)

SECRETARY TILLERSON: Well, we came in from Paris, had some meetings in Paris. (Inaudible.) But I’m really pleased this worked out and we had the chance to see you.

PRIME MINISTER BARZANI: Thank you for this opportunity to see us.

SECRETARY TILLERSON: We have a lot to talk about. Thank you.

PRIME MINISTER BARZANI: Thank you.

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.