U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will travel to Eastern Europe and the Caucasus next week on a five-day trip aimed at improving bilateral relations, the State Department announced Friday. Hillary Clinton will depart July 01 for Kiev, Ukraine, where she is scheduled to meet Friday with President Viktor Yanukovych and Foreign Minister Kostyantyn Gryshchenko, as well as members of non-governmental groups and independent media leaders, said spokesman P.J. Crowley. The top U.S. diplomat also will open the U.S.-Ukrainian Strategic Partnership Commission, which provides for increased cooperation on a range of issues, such as economics, energy and trade, security and defense, democratization, and cultural exchanges. From Ukraine, Hillary Clinton will travel to Krakow, Poland for the tenth anniversary celebration of the founding of the Community of Democracies, and a meeting with Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski. Hillary Clinton also will visit the capitals of Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Georgia for meetings with government officials and civil-society leaders to “discuss bilateral issues, as well as issues related to regional peace and stability,” Crowley said.
