Tillerson to travel to Saudi, Qatar, South Asia

Washington : US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will travel to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Pakistan, India and Geneva from October 20-27, the State Department announced yesterday.

State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert said that in Riyadh, Tillerson would take part in the inaugural Coordination Council meeting between the governments of Saudi Arabia and Iraq.

Tillerson will also meet with various Saudi leaders “to discuss the conflict in Yemen, the ongoing Gulf dispute, Iran, and a number of other important regional and bilateral issues.” The US top diplomat will then travel to Doha, where he will meet with Qatari leaders and US military officials “to discuss joint counterterrorism efforts, the ongoing Gulf dispute, and other regional and bilateral issues, including Iran and Iraq.” Tillerson will then make his “inaugural visit to South Asia as Secretary of State, reaffirming the Administration’s comprehensive strategy toward the region,” Nauert affirmed.

She indicated that in Islamabad, Tillerson would meet with senior Pakistani leaders “to discuss our continued strong bilateral cooperation, Pakistan’s critical role in the success of our South Asia strategy, and the expanding economic ties between our two countries.” In New Delhi, Tillerson will meet with senior Indian leaders “to discuss further strengthening our strategic partnership and collaboration on security and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region,” she noted.

Finally, in Geneva, Tillerson will meet with the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, International Organization for Migration, and the International Committee of the Red Cross “to discuss a number of the current global humanitarian crises.”