NEW YORK – GNUSA
Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources Michael Rigas will lead the U.S. delegation at the celebration of the 1700th anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea, the State Department announced.
From November 27 to December 5, Deputy Secretary Rigas will travel to Türkiye, Iraq, and Israel, with stops in Istanbul, Baghdad, Erbil, and Jerusalem, in a visit that — according to the State Department — underscores the United States’ commitment to advancing stability, security, religious freedom, and prosperity across the region.
In Türkiye, Rigas will meet with Turkish officials to strengthen the U.S.–Türkiye bilateral relationship and will also hold an audience with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I.
In Iraq, he will meet with senior leaders, tour U.S. diplomatic facilities, and inaugurate the new Consulate General in Erbil.
The Deputy Secretary’s trip to Israel will reaffirm the ironclad relationship between Israel and the United States while enhancing diplomatic facilities and ensuring that foreign assistance advances U.S. strategic interests.
