I am proud to announce the appointment of Elan S. Carr as the United States Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism.
Secretary Michael R. Pompeo spoke today with Afghanistan’s President Ghani to reaffirm the U.S. commitment to achieving a lasting peace in Afghanistan. The Secretary underscored Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad’s role in facilitating an inclusive peace process.
The United States congratulates Nayib Bukele on his election as the next president of the Republic of El Salvador. We salute the Salvadoran people for their commitment to democracy and their participation in a successful election.
At the invitation of the Lima Group, Secretary Michael R. Pompeo participated via videoconference today in the Lima Group foreign ministers meeting, which Canada hosted. The Lima Group was represented by foreign ministers from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, and Saint Lucia.
Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo met today with Iranian women’s rights activist, journalist, and author, Masih Alinejad. Ms. Alinejad is the founder of the My Stealthy Freedom campaign, which initiated the White Wednesdays campaign, both of which work to promote freedom of expression and counter the compulsory hijab laws in Iran, with more than three million followers on social media.
The United States appreciates the contributions the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have made on behalf of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS. As they liberated territory from ISIS with courage and resolve, the SDF took into custody hundreds of foreign terrorist fighters from dozens of countries around the world. Through their efforts, ISIS is now weakened and on the run, and the world is a safer place.
Secretary Michael R. Pompeo met with Panamanian Vice President and Foreign Minister Isabel de Saint Malo today in Washington, D.C., to discuss the ongoing crises in Venezuela and Nicaragua. Secretary Pompeo expressed appreciation for Panama’s regional leadership role in maintaining international attention on those crises within the Organization of American States and the Lima Group.
We welcome the decision today by Austria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Finland, France, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom to recognize Juan Guaido as the Interim President of Venezuela. We are also heartened by the European Parliament’s January 31 resolution recognizing Juan Guaido as Interim President. They join the United States and more than 23 other countries in recognizing Juan Guaido as Interim President, in accordance with Venezuela’s constitution.
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Good morning. Thank you for adjusting to our slight delay this morning. It was a typical Washington reaction to snow.
On December 4, 2018, the United States announced that the Russian Federation is in material breach of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, an assessment shared by all NATO Allies.