US Vice President Harris calls foreign leaders before her last trip abroad next week

WASHINGTON: US Vice President Kamala Harris on Wednesday had telephonic conversations with several foreign leaders, including German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron, on the eve of her last trip abroad next week.

During her calls with Macron and Scholz, Harris, 60, thanked them for their partnership throughout the Biden-Harris Administration.

On Wednesday, Harris spoke to Prime Minister Mia Mottley of Barbados, Chair of Caribbean Community (CARICOM), Prime Minister Andrew Holness of Jamaica, President Bernardo Arévalo of Guatemala and President William Ruto of Kenya.

Harris, who would hand over the vice presidency to Senator J D Vance from Ohio on January 20, will travel to Singapore, Bahrain, and Germany from January 13 to January 17, her press secretary Ernesto Apreza said.

On January 15, she will meet with leaders in Singapore and visit Changi Naval Base. On January 16, she will meet with leaders in Manama, Bahrain and visit Naval Support Activity–Bahrain, the headquarters of US Naval Forces Central Command and the US 5th Fleet.

On January 17, Harris will be in Spangdahlem, Germany to visit the US Air Force 52nd Fighter Wing at Spangdahlem Air Base.

“Throughout her trip, the vice president will discuss the accomplishments of the Biden-Harris Administration over the past four years in each region, the US partnership with the respective nations, the contributions of US military forces to regional and global security, and the enduring national security interests of the United States. Throughout her events at US military installations, the vice president will also engage with US service members,” Apreza said.

Harris, daughter of a woman who immigrated from Chennai and father from Jamaica, could not travel to India during her four-year term as the vice president of the United States.

Joe Biden was the last US Vice President to visit India in 2013. Now the president of the United States, he served as the deputy to President Barack Obama from January 20, 2009 to January 20, 2017.

In her call with Macron, Harris expressed continued support for a strong, united NATO and thanked him for his support of Ukraine.

She underscored her continued support for the longstanding US-France Alliance, based on shared democratic principles and values, and noted how the partnership has advanced their shared global priorities, from Africa to the Indo-Pacific and space and technology, a readout of the call said.

During her call with Chancellor Scholz, Harris underscored the vital importance of the US-Germany Alliance in addressing global challenges, from economic growth to global stability and security, and for standing for democratic principles around the world.

She expressed appreciation for his personal leadership to support Ukraine following Russia’s unprovoked invasion.

“The vice president highlighted her upcoming visit to Spangdahlem Air Base and noted that she is grateful to Germany for hosting US servicemembers and for being a strong NATO Ally, and she reiterated her ironclad commitment to NATO,” said the White House readout.

In her call with Mottley, Harris emphasised her belief that US economic and strategic interests are intertwined with those of neighbours in the Caribbean.

They reviewed progress in the US-Caribbean partnership, and the vice president’s leadership in strengthening the relationships throughout the region.

During her call with Holness of Jamaica, Harris expressed her continued support for strengthening the US partnerships throughout the Caribbean region, including through four leader-level summits the vice president hosted and the launch of the US-Caribbean Partnership to Address the Climate Crisis 2030.

In her communication with Arévalo of Guatemala, the two leaders discussed progress made in addressing irregular migration through the Biden-Harris Administration’s Root Causes Strategy and through Central America Forward, the public-private partnership led by the vice president which has helped reduce irregular migration to the United States by generating more than USD 5.2 billion in private sector investments and creating economic opportunities in northern Central America.

Harris in her call with President William Ruto of Kenya emphasised her continued interest in expanding digital inclusion across the continent of Africa and making progress in technology, AI, and climate and clean energy, among other areas of partnership, building off the May 2024 Kenya State Visit, and the vice president’s work with the private sector to invest in digital inclusion.