US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to Israel, the West Bank, Morocco and Algeria, the State Department announced on Thursday.
State Department spokesman Ned Price noted that Mr Blinken will also meet Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, to “discuss regional security and international developments” while in Rabat next week.
Mr Blinken will begin his trip in Israel on Saturday and remain in the region through Wednesday.
“During the course of his trip, the secretary will emphasise to all of the foreign leaders he meets that the United States stands in solidarity with the government and people of Ukraine in the face of the Kremlin’s aggression,” Mr Price said.
“We will continue to work closely with our allies and partners to impose further costs on [Russian President Vladimir Putin] and his enablers if Putin does not change course.”
The trip agenda will also include issues such as Iran, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and the Abraham Accords that normalised relations between Israel and Arab states including the UAE and Morocco.
Mr Blinken will meet Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, Foreign Minister Yair Lapid, Defence Minister Benny Gantz and President Isaac Herzog before moving on to Ramallah where he will meet Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and representatives from Palestinian civil society.
Mr Price said that the secretary’s meetings will “underscore the unwavering US commitment to Israel’s security” while emphasising “the importance of strengthening US-Palestinian relations”.
While in Morocco, Mr Blinken will meet Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita and in Algeria, he will meet President Abdelmadjid Tebboune and Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamamra.
Updated: March 24, 2022, 4:45 PM
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