NUSA DUA, Indonesia—U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said he regrets that the partial U.S. government shutdown compromises the country's activities overseas, but vowed it will be temporary and won't hurt long-term foreign commitments.
"To all of our friends and foes watching around the world let me be crystal clear: do not mistake this…as anything more than a moment of politics," he told a news conference on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation in Bali, Indonesia on Saturday.
Agence France-Presse/Getty ImagesU.S. Secretary of State John Kerry during a press conference in on the Indonesian resort island of Bali on Saturday.
"Nothing will diminish our commitment to Asia."
U.S. President Barack Obama on Friday canceled his trip to the annual meeting of 21 economies of the Asian-Pacific region because of the deadlock in Washington.
The shutdown is a "moment of political silliness" and "unfortunate," but commitments to maritime security and trade talks in the region are intact, Mr. Kerry said.
"I haven't found one leader here who raised the question with me about the long-term commitment of the U.S.," he said, adding that President Obama's cancellation shouldn't be perceived as a lack of commitment to the region.
"There isn't one leader here who wouldn't make the same decision."
Write to Natasha Brereton-Fukui at [email protected] and Ben Otto at [email protected]
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"To all of our friends and foes watching around the world let me be crystal clear: do not mistake this…as anything more than a moment of politics," he told a news conference on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation in Bali, Indonesia on Saturday.
Agence France-Presse/Getty ImagesU.S. Secretary of State John Kerry during a press conference in on the Indonesian resort island of Bali on Saturday.
"Nothing will diminish our commitment to Asia."
U.S. President Barack Obama on Friday canceled his trip to the annual meeting of 21 economies of the Asian-Pacific region because of the deadlock in Washington.
The shutdown is a "moment of political silliness" and "unfortunate," but commitments to maritime security and trade talks in the region are intact, Mr. Kerry said.
"I haven't found one leader here who raised the question with me about the long-term commitment of the U.S.," he said, adding that President Obama's cancellation shouldn't be perceived as a lack of commitment to the region.
"There isn't one leader here who wouldn't make the same decision."
Write to Natasha Brereton-Fukui at [email protected] and Ben Otto at [email protected]
• Invalid email address.
• You can't enter more than 20 emails.
• Seperate multiple addresses with Commas.
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