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An extraordinary blow to the head of US diplomacy, first reported to Reuters, came a few days after the incident on Capitol Hill, where an aggressive crowd of supporters of President Donald Trump invaded. Events in the United States have shocked most of the world’s leaders and allies in the United States.
Pompeo was officially announced Tuesday that he had canceled his last overseas trip during his tenure as the House of Representatives prepared to vote on an impeachment against President Donald Trump this week.
Pompeo will not travel to Belgium on Wednesday to help with a “smooth and orderly transfer of power” in Washington, State Department spokesman Morgan Ortagus said.
“As a result, we are canceling all trips planned for this week, including the secretary’s visit to Europe,” he said in a statement.
The State Department announced Monday that Pompeo would pay a brief visit to Brussels to meet with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and Belgian leaders.
Jean asselborn
© Zuma Press / Scanpix
No official event
Pompeo’s close associate, Pompeo, intended to meet in Luxembourg with Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn, a small but wealthy NATO ally, and then travel to Brussels to meet with EU leaders and diplomats from the block, said three well-informed sources.
Only the original plan to go to Luxembourg, which was not officially announced, fell through when it was noted that Pompeo’s meetings in Europe were being planned very slowly, according to a diplomatic source. However, plans to travel to Brussels were not abandoned, waiting until the last minute.
Only the very tight schedule from Pompeo’s last official visit to Europe finally made him wonder if it was worth going. No meeting with European Union officials or any official NATO event was secured. According to a third diplomatic source, after the aggression in Washington, which claimed five lives, the Pompeo allies began to withdraw.
Last Wednesday, the president-elect of the United States, Trump, who had not been re-elected for a second term, began to incite a crowd to take action on Capitol Hill, where the country’s parliament was to formally confirm the electoral victory of Democrat Joe Biden. D. Trump, in the absence of tangible evidence, alleges that his electoral victory was stolen.
Pompeo has condemned the violence, but does not mention Trump’s lie as an inciting factor.
Mike’as Pompeo
Shocked by the aggression on Capitol Hill, Luxembourg diplomat Asselborn called D. Trump a “criminal” and a “political arson” on RTL Radio.
Earlier, Luxembourg’s Foreign Ministry confirmed that Pompeo’s previously planned stop in the country had been canceled, but did not provide further details. The European Union has not yet ruled on the situation.
A statement released by the US State Department said the change in plans was driven by transition work before Biden took office on January 20, even though Pompeo had officially recognized the Democratic victory. Recently. The US State Department declines to comment in more detail on the reluctance of European government leaders to meet with Pompeo.
In Brussels, Pompeo was scheduled to have dinner with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Wednesday night. The dinner would take place in the private residence of the Secretary General of NATO. A meeting with the Belgian diplomatic chief, Sophie Wilmes, a NATO ally, was also scheduled.
One source says that the lack of public NATO events demonstrates the obvious fact that European leaders do not hide their doubts about the significance of Pompeo’s visit. It is not yet officially clear why Pompeo decided to go to Brussels just before the end of Trump’s term.
Donald trump
Wants to develop a relationship with Biden
A reaction cold as night and day is different from Pompeo’s previous visits to Brussels over the past three years, which he calls home not only NATO but also the headquarters of the European Union. There, the head of US diplomacy delivered a series of memorable speeches on US policy and met with leaders of the European bloc, although Europe praised Trump’s foreign policy with a solid dose of skepticism.
In 2018, Pompeo said in Brussels that Trump’s “America First” policy was a desire to reshape the post-World War II system with a greater focus on independent countries, rather than a desire to reform institutions such as the European Union.
European Union officials, tired of the unpredictability of Trump’s actions, are waiting for a fresh start in relations with Biden, experts say.
One source, explaining why Pompeo still decided to stay in Washington at the last minute, says the chief of US diplomacy wanted to resolve unfinished business of foreign policy at the end of his term and ensure his continuity in the face of a change of government. In nearly three years, Pompeo has proven to be a faithful enforcer of Trump’s whims.
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