The Secretary of States, Antony Blinken has departed for Vienna, Austria, where he will be serving as head of delegation for the United States during the high-level segment of the 67th session of the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs.
Adding the Secretary will be working to build on the momentum of the Global Coalition to Address Synthetic Drug Threats that he launched last summer, and which now has 149 countries and 14 international organizations participating.
This was disclosed in a Press Briefing on Thursday by the State Department Spokesman, Mathew Miller, stating that this administration has made it a top priority to address fentanyl and synthetic drug crisis, and this will be the first time a U.S. secretary of state has attended a meeting of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs.
While at the meeting, Blinken will emphasize that illicitly manufactured synthetic drugs and their precursors pose a threat not just to the United States but to all nations.
He will also secure concrete commitments from countries to take domestic, regional, and international action to address synthetic drugs and their precursors, which are fueling the public health crisis both in communities across the United States and around the globe.
Secretary Blinken who will also meet with Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer and Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg during his time in Austria to reinforce United States strong bilateral relationship, working together with Austrian govt to meet aid in Ukraine and ensure the integrity of EU Russia sanctions.
He said futher that the Secretary will then travel to Seoul to participate in the third Summit for Democracy, led by the Republic of Korea. “The summit will demonstrate how democracies continue to deliver for their citizens and organize to address the world’s most pressing challenges”.
Blinken will also meet with Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul and other Korean officials to discuss a broad range of regional and global issues during his time in Seoul, underscoring the unwavering strength of the more than 70-year U.S.-Republic of Korea alliance.
From there, Blinken will travel to Manila to reaffirm US unwavering commitment to its Philippine allies, meet President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Secretary of Foreign Affairs Enrique Manalo to discuss ways to advance economic prosperity, clean and renewable energy development, and promote peace and stability in the South China Sea.
“The Secretary’s visit will also underscore the importance of our strong bilateral ties, which for 75 years have been critical to advancing our shared vision for a free, open, connected, prosperous, secure, and resilient Indo-Pacific region”, the Spokesman said.