Deputy Sec. of State Antony Blinken Travel to Nigeria and Niger

AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File

Media Note
Office of the Spokesperson
Department of State
Washington, DC
July 2, 2015

Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel next week to Nigeria and Niger to meet with a wide range of government officials and non-governmental experts to discuss key political, economic, and security issues.

On July 6-9, Deputy Secretary Blinken will meet with senior government officials in Abuja to discuss expanding cooperation on our shared priorities ahead of President Buhari’s visit to Washington in July. He will also meet with civil society representatives and alumni of the President’s Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI). In Nigeria Deputy Secretary Blinken will be accompanied by senior officials from the Treasury Department, Department of Defense, and United States Agency for International Development.

Deputy Secretary Blinken will then travel to Niamey on July 9 to meet with senior Nigerien officials and civil society representatives. In particular, the Deputy will emphasize our critical security cooperation with Niger and the importance both our countries place on countering violent extremism in the region.

Before the Deputy Secretary takes off for Nigeria, he will host a Facebook chat on July 6th at 10:45 a.m. EDT. He will be taking questions and comments in advance on Facebook (facebook.com/USDOS) and Twitter (@ABlinken).

Be sure to follow the Deputy Secretary on Twitter (@ABlinken) and check out the Department of State Flickr for more updates throughout his trip.