US Secy of State Blinken to hold summits with UAE & Israeli foreign ministers on Oct 13

United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken will be meeting the foreign ministers from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Israel, said the US State Department in a statement on Saturday, 9 October (local time). The department added that Blinken will be holding summits with both Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid and UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan on Wednesday, 13 October. The meetings will first be held between the US and UAE and later with Israel before all three representatives meet together. 

As per the official release, the officials will be discussing the progress made since the signing of the Abraham Accords in 2020 along with exploring future areas of collaboration. Blinken will also exchange views on bilateral issues including regional security and stability with the Israeli and UAE foreign ministers. Following the announcement, the US Secretary of State tweeted that he is looking forward to discussing the “accomplishments” of the Abraham Accords.

US State Department said, “Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken will meet with Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid and the UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan on October 13 in separate bilateral meetings and then in a trilateral setting.”

“They will discuss progress made since the signing of the Abraham Accords last year, future opportunities for collaboration, and bilateral issues including regional security and stability,” it added.

Blinken meets Mexican President López Obrador

Earlier on Friday, October 8, Blinken met with Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador in Mexico City, said US State Department spokesperson Ned Price in a statement. Price stated that Blinken was joined by US Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas and Attorney General Merrick Garland, meanwhile, Obrador was joined by Mexican Foreign Secretary Ebrard, Secretary of Security and Citizen Protection Rosa Icela Rodriguez, Secretary of the Interior Adán Augusto López Hernández, and Secretary of Defense General Luis Cresencio Sandoval. 

The US Secretary of State and Mexican President discussed the “importance of the U.S.-Mexico bilateral relationship and progress towards advancing our shared security interests through the High-Level Security Dialogue,” said Price.

"Secretary Blinken thanked President López Obrador for Mexico’s coordination on a range of security and economic issues, as well as Mexico’s contributions to coordinated migration management in the region," he added.

IMAGE: AP