In Tokyo, Secretary Kerry Addresses 21st Century Pacific Partnership

About the Author: Karen Kelley serves as Information Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo, Japan.

On Sunday, April 14, Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in Tokyo to begin his first visitto Japan as Secretary of State, following stops in Beijing and Seoul, and, earlier, London and the Middle East. En route to downtown Tokyo, the Secretary’s motorcade made a brief stop at historic Zojoji Temple. Founded in 1393, Zojoji served as the Tokugawa Shogun’s family temple during Japan’s Edo period.… more »

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry delivers remarks on a 21st Century Pacific Partnership at Tokyo Tech University on Tokyo, Japan on April 14, 2013. A text transcript can be found at http://www.state.gov/secretary/remarks/2013/04/207487.htm.

More: Photos From the Trip | Details of Travel

On his first visit to China as Secretary of State on April 13-14, 2013, John Kerry met with the top echelon of China’s new leadership. During his 24-hour visit, the Secretary conferred with President Xi Jinping, Premier Li Keqiang, State Councilor Yang Jiechi, and Foreign Minister Wang Yi. At the top of the bilateral agenda was the subject of North Korea, and the two sides underscored their commitment to the peaceful denuclearization of the Korean peninsula. Both sides also articulated a vision of how a stronger economic partnership between the two most powerful economies in the world can play a key… more »

About the Author: Hannah Bae serves as a Public Affairs Assistant at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul, the Republic of Korea.

Here in Seoul, we are quite familiar with hosting U.S. Secretaries of State. South Korea is one of the United States’ closest allies, which means our two countries engage in a great deal of close cooperation and coordination. This year we celebrate “Sixty Years of Partnership and Shared Prosperity,” as we mark the 60th anniversary of the Korean War Armistice, the U.S.-ROK Mutual Defense Treaty, and the launch of the American Chamber of Commerce in Korea, among other key events.

For this Secretary-level visit, however, there were a number of new variables. New Republic of Korea President Park Geun-hye, in office a few short months, was meeting new U.S. Secretary of State… more »

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry delivers remarks to the press in Tel Aviv, Israel on April 9, 2013. A text transcript can be found at http://www.state.gov/secretary/remarks/2013/04/207203.htm

Secretary Kerry in Ramallah and Jerusalem

On April 7-9, 2013, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry traveled to Jerusalem and Ramallah. During his visit, he met with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, Israeli President Shimon Peres, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. These meetings were to follow up on last month’s discussions, as we continue to assess how best we can support the parties in getting back to the table and in having dialogue leading to peace. We remain committed to working with the parties to achieve a lasting peace through direct negotiations.

On April 8, Secretary Kerry participated in the Holocaust Remembrance Day wreath-laying ceremony at Yad Vashem in Jerusalem. Afterwards, he spoke with the staff and families of the U.S. Consulate General… more »

About the Author: Gabrielle Price serves as Information Officer at the U.S. Consulate General in Istanbul, Turkey.

Early in the morning of Sunday, April 7, Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in Istanbul, which marked his second visit as Secretary of State to Turkey. Secretary Kerry met with Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan, whom President Obama will host at the White House in May. Secretary Kerry and the Turkish officials discussed a range of issues, including the crisis in Syria and regional peace and security.

Amidst these meetings,… more »

About the Author: Christopher Palmer serves as Deputy Spokesperson at the U.S. Embassy in Paris, France.

Secretary of State John Kerry’s airplane touched down at Le Bourget airport on the evening of March 26. The morning of March 27, Secretary Kerry and his French counterpart Laurent Fabius met for 90 minutes over breakfast at the French Foreign Ministry. Secretary Kerry and Minister Fabius had plenty to discuss: Mali, Syria, Iran, Afghanistan, the Middle East Peace Process. The exchange was what professional diplomats call a “working meeting” — a focused, in-depth, and candid discussion. 

Following his meeting at the Foreign Ministry, Secretary Kerry traveled to the other side of the Seine, where he met at Ambassador Rivkin’s residence with a group of prominent French business leaders from many different sectors of the economy. Our nations share the common goal of global economic prosperity and our bilateral trade relationship alone has already created hundreds of thousands… more »

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry travels to Paris, France, March 26-27, 2013. 

On March 25-26, 2013, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry traveled Kabul, Afghanistan, where he met with Afghan President Hamid Karzai and other officials to discuss a number of issues of mutual interest. 

“Today, Afghanistan is managing three very significant transitions: a security transition, a political transition, and an economic transition,” Secretary Kerry remarked in a joint press availability with President Karzai. “And America will continue to support the Afghan people through all three of these transitions just as we agreed to do in the strategic partnership agreement and in the bilateral security agreement that we are currently negotiating. We also support the Afghan-led peace process, the reconciliation—recognizing that the reconciliation is the best… more »