United States senior advisor for Caucasus negotiations Philip T. Reeker will arrive in the South Caucasus region this week in what will be his first trip in this new role, Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel told a press briefing on Tuesday, September 6.

"This is a first of what we expect to be regular travel to the region. He departs this evening and will be going to Armenia, Georgia, and Azerbaijan, and in all three countries he’ll meet with senior officials to discuss key issues in the region as well as looking for pathways to assist partners and engaging directly and constructively to resolve outstanding issues and further regional cooperation," Patel said.

Reeker was appointed in the post by Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken on August 24. In this capacity, Ambassador Reeker serves as U.S. OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair and lead negotiator for the U.S. delegation to the Geneva International Discussions.