Effectively, good morning, everybody. It is a pleasure to have the ability to obtain my colleague and my buddy, the international minister of Senegal. Welcome, Aïssata, to the State Division. I had a beautiful go to the place we spent lots of time collectively in Senegal. We have had many conversations since then.
And our two international locations are sturdy companions on so many points based mostly on many shared values. I am trying ahead to persevering with the discussions that we began in Dakar final November and issues that we have been engaged on since, together with on the United Nations. I feel we’ll speak in regards to the ways in which we are able to handle the rising meals safety disaster that has been exacerbated by Russia’s warfare of aggression in opposition to Ukraine. It is a crucial matter for each of us and for a lot of international locations around the globe, and we have been working concretely on easy methods to handle it each within the close to time period and the long term.
Senegal, in fact, has been a frontrunner on attempting to finish the acute part of COVID-19 and extra broadly on international well being safety. We’ll be speaking about that. And naturally, we’re companions on safety cooperation, on financial prosperity, on coping with local weather change and on resolving regional points.
So there may be, as all the time, a broad agenda, however I am simply significantly happy to have the ability to reciprocate for the extremely heat hospitality but additionally the extremely productive go to that I had with you and with President Macky Sall.
Aïssata, welcome. Over to you.
FOREIGN MINISTER TALL SALL: Thanks you a lot, Secretary of State.
(By way of interpreter) Girls and gents, I wish to inform you how delighted I’m, me and my delegation, to have this working go to on the State Division, invited by the Secretary of State Mr. Blinken, who, as you reminded us, in final November you had been in Dakar in an effort to strengthen additional this glorious relationship of cooperation between the USA and Senegal.
Our cooperation is a historic cooperation. It’s based mostly on political values, human values, ethical values that are our personal and that are shared – democratic values, values of respect for human rights, basic values – freedom, freedom of thought, freedom of appearing, freedom to assemble, to decide on our political orientation and select one’s faith, which we respect in Senegal simply as is revered splendidly in the USA.
This already is what’s on the foundation of the development of this relationship which is ours. And I used to be telling the Secretary of State Mr. Blinken final November in Dakar that each one secretaries of state of the USA made a go to to Dakar, however his personal go to was historic as a result of it was in a double context. The primary context is that we had not overcome the pandemic, and he determined despite these constraints to come back go to to Senegal. That is one thing that the President Macky Sall, the Authorities of Senegal, had been very a lot appreciated by the federal government.
And the second context is that Senegal was the one French-speaking nation to profit from this very first secretary – go to of the Secretary of State Mr. Blinken in Africa. To us this was a really sturdy message, a message of friendship but additionally a message which signifies that we have to work aspect by aspect to fulfill all of the challenges which might be shaking the world. You – he stated it. There’s this disaster in Ukraine. We’ll discuss it as soon as once more. How can we cooperate additional?
Senegal very a lot appreciated the USA’ help within the battle in opposition to COVID-19 as a part of COVAX, but additionally all the initiatives carried out at the moment by President Biden to place the world in the direction of democracy and the battle in opposition to COVID-19.
And at these very summits – the Summit for Democracy on-line, in all places – Senegal was there. Senegal benefitted always of this cooperation and of all the financial initiatives launched by the USA on behalf of all the world. USAID is in our nation for a really very long time, however earlier than that the Peace Corps was already there in 1963, and after that AGOA, and after that MCC, and after that, now right now, DPW after which DFC, and after that, and so forth and so forth. So that is the standing of our cooperation on the financial degree, alongside our political commitments, alongside the Authorities of the USA, as a result of we do share the identical values that I simply talked about.
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That is why, pricey Antony, I’m very pleased to see you as soon as once more this morning and to have this working assembly to determine as soon as once more a brand new landmark that might be written within the historic books. I’ve simply signed the visitor e-book, and I stated it is a very lengthy highway, however on a periodical – on occasion every actor will play their half. And right now it is you for the USA, and myself, humbly, on behalf of Senegal, I do know that we’ll write many extra lovely pages to additional deepen the cooperation between our two international locations, that are buddies.
Thanks very a lot.
Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State
Thomas Jefferson Room
