News and reports from the State Department.

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken met with Lao PDR Foreign Minister Saleumxay Kommasith today during the ASEAN-related ministerial meetings in Vientiane, Lao PDR. Secretary Blinken emphasized the U.S. commitment to ASEAN centrality and a shared vision of an Indo-Pacific that is "free, open, connected, prosperous, secure, and resilient." He expressed gratitude to Foreign Minister Saleumxay for Lao PDR serving as this year’s ASEAN chair and reaffirmed the United States’ support for implementing its theme of “Enhancing Connectivity and Resilience.”

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken met with Vietnamese President To Lam today in Hanoi to mark the loss of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong. The meeting was part of a Presidential Delegation, and according to Spokesperson Matthew Miller, Secretary Blinken reaffirmed the United States' commitment to a strong, secure, and independent Vietnam.

PRIME MINISTER CHINH: (Via interpreter) (In progress) in my own name. Mr. Secretary, I wish to thank you for representing the Honorable President Joe Biden to visit Vietnam and share your condolences with our country for the passing of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong. He played a very important role in many of the important milestones in the Vietnam-U.S. ties, such as in the establishment of the Strategic Partnership back in 2015, and recently he was the one behind the promotion – the efforts to upgrade our bilateral ties to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. And he...

Colleagues, on behalf of the ASEAN colleagues, I would like to warmly welcome Secretary Blinken back to the ASEAN-U.S. meeting. In the last three years, we have accomplished many things together to enhance ASEAN-U.S. cooperation for our region and the world's shared interests. We successfully elevated our relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership at the ASEAN-U.S. Special Summit in May 2022, resulting in the Joint Vision Statement as the guiding compass for our partnership forward.

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken met with PRC Director of the CCP Central Foreign Affairs Commission and Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Vientiane, Laos, on July 27, on the sidelines of ASEAN-related ministerial meetings.

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken met with Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh today in Hanoi to express his deepest condolences for the loss of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong.

Secretary Antony J. Blinken and Lao People’s Democratic Republic Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Saleumxay Kommasith met on July 27, 2024, to discuss various bilateral issues and regional partnerships.

The following statement was released by the Governments of Lao PDR and the United States of America as Co-chairs of the Mekong-U.S. Partnership (MUSP) on the occasion of the 3rd MUSP Foreign Ministers’ Meeting on July 27, 2024, in Vientiane, Lao PDR.

PRESIDENT LAM: (Via interpreter) Thank you very much, Mr. Secretary, on behalf of the party and people of Vietnam for coming, for offering incense, and for the condolences to the family of the late General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and to the people of Vietnam. I would kindly ask Mr. Secretary to convey our best regards and our gratitude to President Joe Biden for the message of condolences expressed to our people and to the family of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong right after he passed away. I also would like to express my gratitude to President Biden on the message of...

Today marks the 34th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), a landmark legislation aimed at promoting greater participation for Americans with disabilities across society. At the signing of this legislation, President George H.W. Bush stated, “let the shameful walls of exclusion finally come tumbling down.” The ADA continues to influence disability inclusion in various sectors, including President Biden’s Executive Order 14035 on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) in the Federal Workforce; Secretary Blinken’s Modernization Agenda; and...

The Governments of the United States and the Philippines have jointly released a statement marking the successful conclusion of the Philippines-United States Cyber-Digital Policy Dialogue held in Washington, D.C., on July 15 and 16, 2024.

On Friday, July 26, the United States, along with 40 fellow Member States of the Freedom Online Coalition (FOC), issued a joint statement on the UN Convention Against Cybercrime. In advance of the reconvened concluding session of the Ad Hoc Committee to elaborate a UN cybercrime convention, the Coalition reaffirmed its commitment that human rights offline must also be protected online.

On behalf of the U.S. Government, I extend warm wishes to Liberia on its 177th year of independence.

Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources Richard R. Verma is traveling to Beirut, Lebanon; Nicosia, Cyprus; and Adana, Türkiye on July 26-27. Executive Secretary Dereck J. Hogan and Bureau of Consular Affairs Assistant Secretary Rena Bitter will join the Deputy Secretary on his trip.

The following statement was jointly released by the United States and Mongolia on the occasion of the successful conclusion of the First United States-Mongolia Comprehensive Strategic Dialogue in Washington, D.C.: