Photo: AFP
The Deputy United States Secretary of State, Kurt Campbell, will travel to Tonga, Vanuatu and New Zealand this week.
Deputy Secretary Campbell will begin his trip in Tonga on Thursday to lead the US delegation to the 53rd Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting.
He will also engage Pacific Island leaders on the margins to promote the goals and achievements of the US Pacific Partnership Strategy.
Campbell will then visit Vanuatu to open Embassy Port Vila, the United States' newest overseas mission.
His visit will also highlight a Peace Corps contribution to Port Vila Central Hospital and a repatriation of Vanuatu cultural artifacts made possible by interagency coordination between the State Department, FBI, US Coast Guard and FedEx.
He will then head to Auckland on 30 August, where he will co-chair the US-New Zealand Strategic Dialogue, meet with senior government officials, and launch the inaugural high-level technology dialogue.
These engagements in Tonga, Vanuatu, and New Zealand represents the latest in a series of high-level visits to the region by senior US officials.