Travel to Austria, South Korea, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Israel, March 14-23, 2024

Summary

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken traveled to Vienna, Seoul, Manila, Jeddah, Cairo, and Tel Aviv from March 14 to 23, 2024.
In Vienna, Secretary Blinken attended the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) and served as Head of Delegation for the United States during the High-Level Segment. At the CND, the Secretary emphasized that illicitly manufactured synthetic drugs and their precursors are fueling a public health crisis that affects communities across the United States and around the globe. The United States looked to secure concrete commitments from countries to take domestic, regional, and international action to address synthetic drugs and their precursors. While in Vienna, Secretary Blinken also met with senior Austrian officials, as well as International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Grossi to discuss nuclear safety, security, and safeguards issues.
In Seoul, Secretary Blinken headed the U.S. delegation to the third Summit for Democracy, hosted by the Republic of Korea, bringing together hundreds of leaders from governments, civil society, and the private sector committed to strengthening democratic governance, protecting human rights, and advancing the fight against corruption. The Summit demonstrated how the United States and like-minded democracies organize to address the world’s most pressing challenges. The U.S. also highlighted progress made since the last Summit for Democracy to counter the proliferation and misuse of commercial spyware. The Secretary also met with Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul and other ROK officials.
In Manila, Secretary Blinken met with President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr., and Secretary of Foreign Affairs Enrique Manalo to advance shared economic priorities and underscore the United States’ ironclad commitment to the U.S.-Philippine alliance. Secretary Blinken, President Marcos, and Secretary Manalo discussed areas to deepen U.S.-Philippine cooperation on a range of bilateral and global issues, including on regional peace and stability, human rights and democracy, economic prosperity, health, clean energy, semiconductors, and the digital economy.
In Jeddah, Secretary Blinken met with Saudi leadership and then continued to Cairo to meet with Egyptian leadership. In his meetings in Saudi Arabia and Egypt, the Secretary discussed efforts to reach an immediate ceasefire agreement that secures the release of all remaining hostages, intensified international efforts to increase humanitarian assistance to Gaza, and coordination on post-conflict planning for Gaza, including ensuring Hamas can no longer govern or repeat the attacks of October 7, a political path for the Palestinian people with security assurances with Israel, and an architecture for lasting peace and security in the region. The Secretary also discussed the imperative of ending Houthi attacks on commercial ships and restoring stability and security to the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
In Israel, Secretary Blinken discussed with the leadership of the Government of Israel the ongoing negotiations to secure the release of all hostages. He discussed the need to ensure the defeat of Hamas, including in Rafah, in a way that protects the civilian population, does not hinder the delivery of humanitarian assistance, and advances Israel’s overall security. The Secretary discussed U.S. and international efforts to dramatically increase and sustain the delivery of humanitarian assistance to civilians who are suffering from a lack of adequate food supplies. He also updated Israeli leaders on his talks with Arab leaders to build lasting peace and security for Israelis, Palestinians, and the broader region.