Following his 78 to 22 confirmation at the Senate, the new United States Secretary of State, Antony Blinken was sworn in recently at the State Department. After his swearing in, he got to work and talked to his counterparts from Mexico, Japan, South Korea and Canada on phone.
According to a State Department readout of the call, while talking with Japanese Foreign Minister, Toshimitsu Motegi, Blinken labeled the alliance between United States and Japan “the cornerstone of peace, security, and prosperity for a free and open Indo-Pacific region and across the globe.”
The readout said: “Secretary Blinken highlighted the importance of continued U.S.-Japan-Republic of Korea cooperation and stressed President Biden’s pledge to strengthen U.S. alliances and engage with the world again.”
When he called South Korean Foreign Minister, Kang Kyung-wha, Blinken again highlighted the significance of the U.S.-ROK-Japan trilateral relationship and “affirmed the enduring strength and importance of the U.S.-ROK Alliance, the lynchpin of peace, security, and prosperity for a free and open Indo-Pacific region and across the world. ”
The readout said he also “underscored the continued need for the denuclearisation of North Korea and stressed President Biden’s commitment to strengthening U.S. alliances.”
Blinken’s tweets read: “We will revitalise American diplomacy to advance our interests and values in the world as it is – not as it was”
“Together, we will implement @POTUS Biden’s vision of a foreign policy that promotes America’s security, prosperity, and values – and that delivers for the American people.”
As expected, Blinken will oversee America’s re-engagement with the globe through multilateral forums. Also, he will seek to empower multilateral relationships and shy away from a transactional “America First” blueprint that characterised Trump administration’s foreign policy.
During his confirmation hearing, he disclosed that America should liaise with the world with “humility and confidence,” and that no nation, no matter how powerful, could tackle the problems of the world alone.
