Blinken to visit Austria, South Korea, Philippines

By Iclal Turan

WASHINGTON (AA) - US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to Austria, South Korea and the Philippines on Thursday and Friday to discuss a wide range of issues.

Blinken will attend the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) in Vienna, where he will “emphasize that illicitly manufactured synthetic drugs and their precursors are fueling a public health crisis” that affects communities across the US and around the globe, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement.

He will also meet senior Austrian officials, as well as International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Grossi to discuss nuclear safety, security and safeguards issues, said Miller.

Blinken will then head to Seoul to attend the third Summit for Democracy, hosted by Korea, and will “also highlight progress made since the last Summit for Democracy to counter the proliferation and misuse of commercial spyware.”

In Seoul, Blinken will meet Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul and other officials, according to the statement.

He will later travel to Manila where he will meet with President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. and Foreign Minister Enrique Manalo to discuss bilateral and global issues.