Blinken to visit France, Belgium next week

By Iclal Turan

WASHINGTON (AA) - US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will visit France and Belgium next week, the State Department announced Wednesday.

The visit will underscore the US commitment to “the NATO alliance, strengthening transatlantic partnerships and addressing global challenges," State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters.

Blinken will meet with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris to discuss support for Ukraine, efforts to prevent an escalation of the conflict in Gaza and other issues, Miller said.

The top US diplomat will later travel to Brussels, Belgium to attend the NATO foreign ministers meeting, which coincides with the 75th anniversary of NATO on April 4.

On the sidelines of the NATO meeting, Blinken will meet with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba as well as representatives from other countries.

Also in Brussels, Blinken and USAID Administrator Samantha Power will also join a US-EU trilateral meeting with Armenia along with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.

The meeting is related to US and European Union support for Armenia’s economic resilience as it works to diversify its trade partnerships and address humanitarian needs, Miller said.