WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will travel to Brussels this week for meetings with NATO officials, the State Department said on Monday, a trip that is expected to be his last as the top diplomat of outgoing President Donald Trump.
During his trip, which will take place on Wednesday and Thursday, Pompeo will meet with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg and Belgian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister Sophie Wilmès, the State Department said.
The visit will come after thousands of Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol last Wednesday, forcing lawmakers who were certifying Democratic President-elect Joe Biden’s election victory into hiding in a harrowing assault that left five dead.
Stoltenberg called the scenes in Washington “shocking” and called for the outcome of the election to be respected. Many other world leaders including those of top U.S. allies such as the UK also expressed shock at the attack on the heart of American democracy.
“Secretary Pompeo will highlight the enduring importance of the Transatlantic partnership, champion NATO’s ongoing success in safeguarding the Transatlantic community and adapting to new security challenges, and reaffirm the strength of the bilateral relationship between the United States and Belgium,” the State Department said in a statement.
(Reporting by Humeyra Pamuk and Eric Beech; Editing by Leslie Adler and Peter Cooney)
