As America’s top diplomat, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo spends much of his time traveling around the globe, working with his international counterparts to solve problems and strengthening partnerships with U.S. allies.
This year, Pompeo has visited 50 countries — meeting heads of state and people from all backgrounds. During those visits, he has stressed that all governments have a duty to protect the interests of their people. “Every nation … must honestly acknowledge its responsibilities to its citizens and ask if the current international order serves the good of the people as well as it could. And if not, we must ask how we can right it,” he said.
Here, in random order, are a few highlights from the secretary’s 2019 travels:
During his travels to Chile, Paraguay, Peru and Colombia in April, Pompeo highlighted shared commitments to human rights, cooperation on economic growth and security, and support for democracy in Venezuela and the needs of Venezuelan refugees. In the photo above, Pompeo (right) shakes hands with Colombian President Iván Duque Márquez on April 14 in Cúcuta, Colombia, in front of a warehouse storing aid for Venezuelans.
The secretary visited Germany in November to underscore important bilateral relationships, to meet with key leaders — including German Chancellor Angela Merkel — and to commemorate the fall of the Berlin Wall. In the photo here, Pompeo chats with members of the U.S. Army at a live-fire exercise on November 7 in Grafenwöhr, Germany.
On November 7, Pompeo joined U.S. Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell (far right) and Fred Ryan Jr., board chairman of the Reagan Foundation (left), to unveil a statue of former President Ronald Reagan at the U.S. Embassy in Berlin.
In 1987, Reagan, addressing the Soviet general secretary at the Brandenburg Gate, near the Berlin Wall, delivered the now-famous lines, “Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate … tear down this wall!” Reagan’s challenge increased international pressure on Moscow to make good on its promises of openness and reform.
Silhouetted against an October night sky, Pompeo disembarks in Brussels before meeting with NATO’s secretary-general to discuss trans-Atlantic security issues in preparation for the following month’s NATO meeting of foreign ministers and leaders.
During his December visit to London, Pompeo joined the U.S. delegation led by President Trump to attend the NATO Leaders Meeting. The U.S. contingent hailed the 70th anniversary of NATO and progress on burden-sharing by the U.S. and its allies.
In the photo above, Deputy Master of the Household Lieutenant Colonel Anthony Charles Richards (right) greets the secretary of state as he arrives for the Buckingham Palace reception for the heads of NATO countries.
In May, Pompeo visits London as part of the U.S. delegation during Trump’s state visit to the United Kingdom. Here, Pompeo (left) leaves after meeting with British Prime Minister Theresa May (not pictured) at 10 Downing Street in London.
Pompeo shakes hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin prior to their talks in Sochi, Russia, in May. Pompeo, Putin and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov discussed a full range of bilateral and multilateral challenges. The day before, Pompeo stopped in Moscow to connect with U.S. exchange program alumni and to lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (the final resting place for a soldier killed in the Battle of Moscow during World War II).
Pompeo listens as Trump speaks during a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in late February in Hanoi, Vietnam. Pompeo was participating in the president’s summit with Kim and also taking part in bilateral meetings with Vietnamese leaders.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (left) and Pompeo (right) visit the Western Wall in March in Jerusalem’s Old City. While in Jerusalem, Pompeo met with Israeli, Cypriot and Greek leaders to discuss key energy and security issues facing the Eastern Mediterranean region.
Pompeo greets local residents as he visits his ancestors’ house (seen in background) in Pacentro, central Italy, in October. Pompeo also met privately with Pope Francis at the Vatican to promote religious freedom, democracy and human rights, with a particular focus on vulnerable Christians in the Middle East. He visited Rome as well, meeting with Italy’s President Sergio Mattarella, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte and Minister of Foreign Affairs Luigi Di Maio.
Vice President Pence and Pompeo (seated, right) prepare for a joint press conference on October 17 in Ankara, Turkey. That same day, Pence and Pompeo met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to discuss the situation in northeast Syria.
The secretary departs Abu Dhabi on September 19 after visiting the neighboring countries of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. During his overseas travels, Pompeo takes the time to visit with U.S. Embassy staffers, and he shares news with his colleagues in Washington after returning home from every trip.
“America will, as it has always done, continue to work with our allies around the world towards the peaceful, liberal world order each citizen of the world deserves.” — Secretary of State Mike Pompeo
