US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (Source: Reuters)Hanoi (VNA) - US Secretary of StateMike Pompeo on August 4 pledged to provide nearly 300 million USD in newsecurity funding for Southeast Asia.
The US official unveiled the figure to reporters on the sidelines of theongoing 51st ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (AMM 51) and related meetingsin Singapore.
The US said last week that it will invest 113 million USD in initiativesrelated technology, energy and investment in emerging Asia which he called"a down-payment on a new era of US economic commitment to the region”.
In his statement on the threshold ofthe ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) on August 4, Pompeo called for diplomatic and economic pressure on theDemocratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) amid concerns that the Asiancountry is making slow progress toward denuclearization.
DPRK Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho has also been in Singapore to attend the ARF butthere are no plans for a meeting between him and his US counterpart.
Previously, Pompeoand his Korean counterpart Kang Kyung-wha had a meeting on the sidelines of the ARF,during which the two sides agreed to maintain bilateral cooperation in issuesregarding the DPRK.
They also discussed issues of common concern such as theshare of the US forces’ burden in the Republic of Korea, sanctions against Iranand trade.–VNA
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