Politics

Today, the United States is designating Ashot Mkrtychev for arms-related activities involving the DPRK and Russia.  This is the first designation in the DPRK sanctions program in response to Russia’s attempt to secure weapons from the DPRK. Mkrtychev worked with...

The United States and 44 other countries, with the support of Ukraine, invoked the Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe’s (OSCE) Moscow Mechanism requesting that the OSCE’s Office of Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) establish an expert...

On March 24, 2023, the Department of State renewed the charter of the Overseas Schools Advisory Council (OSAC) to provide a formal channel for consultation and advice from U.S. corporations and foundations regarding American-sponsored overseas schools.  The Under Secretary...

The United States continues to put human rights at the center of our foreign policy.  The Export Controls and Human Rights Initiative  – launched at the first Summit for Democracy as part of the Presidential Initiative for Democratic Renewal – is...

We are deeply concerned over Russia’s widely-reported detention of a U.S. citizen journalist.  We are in contact with the Wall Street Journal on this situation.  Whenever a U.S. citizen is detained abroad, we immediately seek consular access, and seek...

Surveillance technologies can be important tools for protecting national security and public safety when used responsibly and in a manner consistent with applicable international law.  At the same time, a growing number of governments misuse surveillance technologies to restrict...

We strongly condemn the Burma military regime-controlled Union Election Commission’s decision to abolish 40 political parties, including the National League for Democracy (NLD). The people voted overwhelmingly to re-elect the NLD and other parties in November 2020 national elections. The...

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken will travel to Brussels, Belgium, April 3-5, to attend the NATO Foreign Ministerial and the tenth U.S.-EU Energy Council meeting. During the NATO Foreign Ministerial, Secretary Blinken will emphasize continued U.S. support for...

The U.S. Department of State’s Rewards for Justice (RFJ) program, which is administered by the Diplomatic Security Service, is offering a reward of up to $5 million for certain information leading to the arrest or conviction in any country...

The following is attributable to Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel: Deputy Secretary of State Wendy R. Sherman spoke today with Algerian Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf to congratulate him on his appointment and emphasize the importance of the U.S.-Algeria relationship in...