U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Office of the Spokesperson
For Immediate Release
MEDIA NOTE
July 9, 2019
On July 9, Under Secretary Hale will arrive in Helsinki, where he will meet with Finnish officials and the Political Directors of the 28 EU Member States to discuss, among other shared interests, Transatlantic security. Under Secretary Hale will also see Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov for a preliminary meeting to launch a broad strategic political dialogue on the U.S.-Russia bilateral relationship. We thank the government of Finland for hosting this meeting.
In Tallinn on July 11, Under Secretary Hale will meet with Foreign Minister Urmas Reinsalu and officials from the Office of the President and Ministry of Foreign Affairs to discuss cooperation as Estonia prepares to take a seat on the UN Security Council 2020-2021.
Under Secretary Hale will travel to Prague July 11-12, where he will have meetings withPrime Minister Andrej Babis, Foreign Minister Tomas Petricek, and Defense Minister Lubomir Metnar. While in Prague, Under Secretary Hale will also visit Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) in support of RFE/RL’s mission to report the news in countries without a free press, including Radio Farda’s efforts to deliver informed discussion to audiences in Iran.
On July 13-14, Under Secretary Hale will be in Chisinau. He will meet with Prime Minister Maia Sandu and other officials to discuss the efforts of the new government in Moldova to implement constructive reforms, and U.S. support for the government’s focus on anti-corruption measures.
Finally, on July 15, Under Secretary Hale will be in London to meet UK Political Director Richard Moore and Deputy National Security Advisor David Quarrey to discuss our collaboration in the Middle East and Russia.
