Department of State

Defense Minister Todor Tagarev expressed his expectation that the purchase of American "Stryker" combat vehicles for the Bulgarian Army will be approved by the US Congress:

By order of the Minister of Internal Affairs, Kalin Stoyanov, senior commissioner Tsvetan Mihailov Tsankov has been appointed director of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, Smolyan, announced the Ministry of the Interior.

He was officially presented to the leadership of the Directorate by Deputy Minister Kiril Tsenkin.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the US is suspending some aid programs to the government of Niger after the military coup there 10 days ago. The exception is the delivery of humanitarian aid and primarily food products.

Hundreds of foreign nationals have already been evacuated from the country, and on Sunday, protesters attacked the French embassy.
The leader of the coup, General Abdulrahman Chiani, warned against "any interference in the internal affairs" of the country.

The United States has confirmed that it has ordered the evacuation of some staff and families from its embassy in Niger, less than a day after first reports that Washington was preparing the move.

The United States on Wednesday ordered a partial evacuation of its embassy in Niger, the State Department said, a week after the fragile nation was rocked by a coup.

"On August 2, 2023, the Department ordered the departure of non-emergency U.S. government employees and eligible family members from Embassy Niamey," an updated US travel advisory for Niger said.

WASHINGTON- Serbian Ambassador to Washington Marko Djuric on Thursday congratulated the US Department of State on the 234th anniversary of its establishment, noting that Belgrade was committed to strengthening the historic Serbia-US partnership.

"As we wish a happy 234th anniversary of the State Department

Greece has rebounded since the 2009-2018 financial crisis that saw real GDP decline by 25 percent. Modest growth began to return in 2019 and unemployment dropped from its crisis peak of 35 percent in 2013 to 12 percent in 2022, the State Department said in the 2023 Investment Climate Statements.

US Senator Chris Van Hollen, a member of the United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, called on a State Department official to get assurances from Turkey that it will not use the F-16 fighter jets it seeks to upgrade to violate Greece's or Cyprus' airspace.

The top US and Chinese diplomats will hold their second meeting in as many months on Thursday in Jakarta, seeking to manage tensions that risk flaring anew over alleged Chinese hacking.