- US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton tours the Patriarchy in Istanbul, on July 16, 2011, following meetings with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. Clinton said Saturday that the United States was troubled by Turkey's arrests of dozens of journalists, calling the moves inconsistent with the economic and political progress the moderate Muslim nation has made. (AP Photo / Saul Loeb)
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton's Travel to Saudi Arabia and Turkey
Press Statement
Office of the SpokespersonWashington, DCMarch 26, 2012
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will travel to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia from March 30-31, 2012. While in Riyadh, she will meet King Abdullah and Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal. She will also attend the First Ministerial Meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council-U.S. Strategic Cooperation Forum. In her conversations, she will discuss the full range of bilateral and regional issues, including ongoing security cooperation in the region, as well as the international community’s continuing efforts to stop the bloodshed in Syria.
Secretary Clinton will then travel to Istanbul, Turkey from March 31-April 1 to attend the second meeting of the “Friends of the Syrian People.” This meeting will build upon steps that our friends, allies, and the Syrian opposition continue to take in an attempt to halt the slaughter of the Syrian people and pursue a transition to democracy in Syria. While in Istanbul, Secretary Clinton will also conduct bilateral meetings with Turkish Foreign Minister Davutoglu and other foreign leaders.
