(AGENPARL) - Roma, 8 Agosto 2022 - (AGENPARL) – lun 08 agosto 2022 You are subscribed to Secretary’s Remarks for U.S. Department of State. This information has recently been updated, and is now available.
08/08/2022 09:18 AM EDT
Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State
Johannesburg, South Africa
Victoria Yards
QUESTION: Sir, thank you. I really appreciate your time, Secretary Blinken.
SECRETARY BLINKEN: Good to be with you.
QUESTION: It is an absolute honor for me to speak to you. So —
SECRETARY BLINKEN: Thank you.
QUESTION: — let me get straight to it, then. If I scan the media coverage of your visit, which is five countries, three of them on this continent of Africa, I see a variety of reporting about what the reasons are. France 24 will tell me: Blinken arrives in Africa to counter Russian influence on the continent. And I see a VOA telling me: Blinken heads to South Africa amid a new cold war. So in your own words, what are the aims and objectives of your visit to this country?
SECRETARY BLINKEN: None of the above; it’s not about any other place or country. It’s about Africa, it’s about the relationship between the United States and Africa, and it’s recognition of a few very powerful things. In just a couple of years’ time, half of the population of Africa will be 25 years old or younger. So this is one of the most youthful places on earth. By 2050, one in four people on our planet will be African. So this is the future.
And one of the things that we feel very strongly, President Biden feels very strongly, is there’s not a single challenge that we face – in the United States or anywhere around the world – that’s really affecting the lives of our people – like COVID, like climate, like the impact of all these emerging technologies that we have – that can be addressed by any one country acting alone. We have to do it in partnership, in cooperation, and the idea that we would try to meet these challenges without Africa makes absolutely no sense. So we see this as a relationship across the continent, here in South Africa, as absolutely central to the future, our common future that we have to try to build.
QUESTION: And my understanding is that you will have a Strategic Dialogue with your counterpart —
SECRETARY BLINKEN: That’s right.
QUESTION: — Minister Naledi Pandor. What does that entail?
SECRETARY BLINKEN: Well, two things. First, I’ve had the great privilege of working with Foreign Minister Pandor, with Naledi, since I’ve been on the job. And she has been a wonderful colleague, partner. We are often sharing ideas, talking about issues not just between South Africa in the United States, not just Africa, but the entire world. South Africa’s voice is so important. It’s important in the United Nations; it’s important on the continent; it’s important globally.
Second, when President Biden and President Ramaphosa had a very good conversation a few months ago that went into tremendous detail and thought about the relationship, they talked about a few critical areas where it would be important for us to work even more closely together, particularly when it comes to climate, when it comes to global health, when it comes to investment, and when it comes to infrastructure. So what we’ve tried to do, based on what our two presidents agreed to, is to focus our Strategic Dialogue between us on those areas, because this is where we’re going to have the greatest impact on the lives of our citizens. How do we together make them a little bit healthier, a little bit more full of opportunity, a little bit safer and more secure? That’s what we’re working on together.