Travel to Germany, France, Italy, and the Vatican, June 22-29, 2021

Summary

• Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken travels to Berlin, Paris, Rome, the Vatican, Bari, and Matera, June 22-29.

• In Berlin, the Secretary attended the Second Berlin Conference on Libya to support national elections in December and the withdrawal of foreign forces. While in Berlin, Secretary Blinken met with Chancellor Angela Merkel and Foreign Minister Heiko Maas to highlight the importance of the U.S.-Germany relationship in addressing common challenges and priorities. He also met with Libyan and other foreign leaders on the margins of the Conference on Libya to discuss mutual concerns. In Berlin, Secretary Blinken and Foreign Minister Maas underscored our shared commitment to combatting anti-Semitism and Holocaust denial and distortion and to finding innovative new ways to enhance Holocaust education.

• In Paris on June 25, Secretary Blinken met with President Emmanuel Macron and Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian to deepen the strong U.S.-France relationship, highlight our shared values, and discuss areas of cooperation, including global security and recovering from the pandemic. The Secretary also met with OECD Secretary General Mathias Cormann to discuss key economic priorities, international taxation, and U.S. chairmanship of the 60th anniversary Ministerial Council Meeting in October.

• In Rome, Secretary Blinken and Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio co-chaired a meeting of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS. On the margins of the D-ISIS meeting, the Secretary participated in a Syria Ministerial to discuss the crisis in Syria and underscore the importance of meeting humanitarian needs. He also had bilateral meetings with President Sergio Mattarella and Foreign Minister Di Maio to underscore the U.S.-Italy partnership’s important role in addressing key global priorities. Secretary Blinken also visited Vatican City, where he met with senior Holy See officials to underscore our shared commitment to freedom of religion or belief and tackling the climate crisis.

• Finally, in Bari and Matera, the Secretary joined foreign ministers at the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting to reinforce the U.S. commitment to multilateralism and discuss continued cooperation in combatting the COVID-19 pandemic, addressing the climate crisis, and building back better with our global partners, with a focus on Africa.