U.S. Secretary of State cancels his visit to Thailand this week

Bangkok –

The U.S. Embassy in Bangkok yesterday, December 15th, has released a statement from State Department Spokesperson Ned Price regarding the cancellation of Secretary Blinken’s visit to Thailand this week.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken expressed his deep regret during talks with Thai Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai as he would not be able to visit Bangkok this week.

This is due to mitigation efforts to stop the risk of the spread of Covid-19 and to prioritize the health and safety of the U.S. traveling party and those they may come into contact with. The Secretary would be returning to Washington, D.C. out of an abundance of caution.

The statement reads: “The Secretary extended an invitation for the Foreign Minister to visit Washington, D.C. at the earliest opportunity and noted that he looked forward to traveling to Thailand as soon as possible. They affirmed that they would use upcoming engagements to further deepen the U.S.-Thai alliance.”

The announcement follows a member of the press corps traveling with Mr. Blinken’s entourage testing positive for Covid-19 in Kuala Lumpur who is now isolated there. No other members of the entourage have tested positive at this time after being tested again in Malaysia.

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Nop Meechukhun
National News Writer at The Pattaya News from September 2020 to October, 2022. Born and raised in Bangkok, Nop enjoys telling stories of her hometown through her words and pictures. Her educational experience in the United States and her passion for journalism have shaped her genuine interests in society, politics, education, culture, and art.