New Delhi, Jan 28 (Agency) The United States will provide leadership to the world to solve its problems and meet challenges, says Secretary of State Antony Blinken. “America’s values are noble and powerful – and we will recommit to them.” Blinken said, assuring the international community, as he took charge of the State Department on Wednesday.
“The United States has enormous sources of strength – we’re going to build upon them.” he told colleagues at Foggy Bottom in Washington DC. Blinken had a series of telephone conversations with his counterparts in Thailand, The Philippines and Australia and said the US would strengthen its defence and security partnership in the Indo-Pacific. India’s Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval also spoke with their respective counterparts Lloyd Austin and Jake Sullivan and discussed bilateral and regional security situation in the region. Blinken, an old hand at the Department who has served as Deputy Secretary, said US leadership is needed around the world. and “we’ll provide it, because the world is far more likely to solve problems and meet challenges when the United States is there. “America at its best still has a greater capacity than any other nation on Earth to mobilize others for the better.”
He said the world is watching the US intently right now. “They want to see whether we will lead with the power of our example and if we will put a premium on diplomacy with our allies and partners to meet the great challenges of our time like the pandemic, climate change, the economic crisis, threats to democracies, fights for racial justice, and the danger to our security and global stability posed by our rivals and adversaries,” Blinken said. The American people are watching too, he noted. “They want to see that we are safeguarding their well-being, that we care about their interests, that our foreign policy is about them and their lives,” he said. “We will do right by them by pursuing a foreign policy that delivers real benefits to American families, protects their safety, advances their opportunities, honors their values, and leaves their children and grandchildren a healthier and more peaceful world. We have our work cut out.”