Author: Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State

QUESTION:  No easy stroll to the exit for Antony Blinken.  With exactly eight days left as Secretary of State, he’s only just concluded what is likely his last trip, back and forth across the globe with meetings in Seoul, Tokyo, Paris, and finally Rome.  Blinken has traveled more than a million miles on the job. […]

SECRETARY BLINKEN:  (Via interpreter) I have the words, but it’s hard to find the words.  Never could I have imagined when I arrived in France a long time ago that I would be here tonight – with you, Mr. President, with all of you in this room.  I can’t find the words.  Yet I’m going […]

QUESTION:  Secretary Blinken, four years ago you inherited the world from President Trump, and now you’re about to hand it back to him.  Your tenure has been an unprecedented interregnum, if you will.  Have you thought about what a strange position that is to be in? SECRETARY BLINKEN:  Well, I think a lot about the […]

Ambassador Brian A. Nichols retires today after a distinguished 36-year career in the United States Foreign Service. As Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs since 2021, Brian has advocated for U.S. interests and provided unwavering leadership to advance democracy, security, trade, and sustainable economic development in the Western Hemisphere. I have deeply […]

Jimmy Carter was a United States President, a U.S. Navy veteran, a Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, and a humanitarian who dedicated his life to promoting peace, democracy, and human rights. Throughout decades of public service, President Carter embodied integrity, compassion, and a commitment to advancing the freedom, security, and welfare of others. He channeled that spirit in his foreign policy, from negotiating the return of the Panama Canal to its host nation, to developing […]

Under the leadership of Assistant Secretary Naz Durakoglu, the Bureau of Legislative Affairs partnered with Congress to advance critical U.S. national security priorities. Naz reestablished the State Department’s legislative proposals process with authorizing and appropriations committees, allowing the Department to secure vital benefits for our employees and their families as well as authorities to allow […]

SECRETARY BLINKEN:  Well, good morning everyone.  It’s a pleasure to meet with Special Envoy Pederson from the UN to talk about the challenges that we face – indeed, face together – in Syria; our determination to work together to support a Syrian-led transition where the United Nations plays a critical role, particularly when it comes […]