The U.S. Department of State issued a “Departmental Transition Work and Travel Update” on January 12, stating that the State Department is currently working to ensure a smooth transition over the next eight days and has decided to cancel all official travel plans for this week. The statement said that this includes the previously announced visit to Europe by Secretary of State Pompeo.
The statement reads, “The State Department’s transition with President-elect Biden’s team is proceeding smoothly. We are fully committed to completing a smooth and orderly transition process within the next eight days. The Department and the President-elect’s team have been fully engaged for several weeks for this purpose, and we are pleased with the level of cooperation and professionalism demonstrated.”
The statement said, “We look forward to the incoming administration’s presentation of a plan to determine which career officials will remain in positions of responsibility in an acting capacity until the Senate completes the confirmation process for new officials. Accordingly, we are canceling all planned travel this week, including the Secretary of State’s trip to Europe.” The Central News Agency also reported that this also included a planned visit to Taiwan by U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Kelly Craft on the 13th.
Earlier, State Department spokesman Morgan Ortagus said via Twitter on the 11th, “Secretary Pompeo will travel to Brussels on January 13-14 to meet with his counterparts on a range of global issues, including our joint response to pandemics, transatlantic cooperation, and the ‘ importance of the ‘One Belt, One Road’ initiative. @NATO alliance.”
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