Antony Blinken urges state department to continue advancing US foreign policy in farewell speech: 'America is so much better off with partners'

US secretary of state Antony Blinken bid farewell to the

state department

on Friday, urging staff to continue advancing

US foreign policy

despite uncertainty surrounding the incoming President-elect Donald

Trump administration

's approach to international relations and the treatment of career diplomats.
Blinken said that the end of his term did not signal the end of the agency's mission to safeguard and advance the country’s security and democratic values globally. He reaffirmed his core beliefs as the agency’s leader since 2021, stressing the importance of US engagement and leadership on the world stage and the need for cooperation with allies and partners.
"I believe in the power and necessity of US engagement and US leadership. We know that when we are not engaged or leading, then likely someone else is, and probably not in a way that advances our interests and values, or maybe no one is. Then you are likely to have a vacuum filled by bad things before good things fill it. I believe in the importance and necessity of working with others. Our alliances and partnerships. America is so much better off when are working with our partners, finding a common cause and purpose... I no longer have the privilege of leading this institution, but I want you to know, I'll be its champion. I'll be our champion. Forever..." he said.
Foreign service officer John Bass also praised

Blinken

for his integrity and resolve during an informal event held on the stairs of the state department office.

Blinken, who will be remembered for his efforts to secure peace in the Middle East during his four-year tenure, encouraged his staff to "carry on" as "the custodians of the power and the promise of American diplomacy.
He also stressed the challenges the world faces, saying, "I've never seen a greater multiplicity, complexity, interconnectedness of challenges than ever before, moving at warp speed or in a world that's more combustible and more contested, a world of change."

Trump has expressed skepticism about the state department's traditional role in shaping foreign policy and has indicated a desire to remove career officials deemed insufficiently loyal. His chosen successor, Senator Marco Rubio, has expressed respect for the foreign service but has not provided details on his plans for managing the department.
Blinken praises staff
The outgoing secretary of state’s final days in office have been marked by speeches interrupted by pro-Palestinian protesters accusing him of supporting Israel to the detriment of civilians in Gaza. In his final address to employees, Blinken praised their work over the past four years in the face of challenges in Afghanistan, Ukraine, and the Middle East.
"Without you in the picture, this world, our country would look so much different," Blinken told a cheering crowd of several hundred staffers assembled at the department's main entrance in Washington, which was adorned with the flags of all the countries with which the US maintains diplomatic relations.
"With you in the picture, both are so much better," he added, stressing their daily efforts to promote peace and opportunity. "You're working every day to make things just a little bit better, a little bit more peaceful, a little bit more full of hope, of opportunity. That's your mission, and you do it so well," Blinken said.
'This is a time of transition'
Blinken urged staff to remain resilient during the transition. "This is a time of transition, and when we talk about transition, sometimes we talk about passing the baton. That's what I'll be doing," he said. "But that's not what most of you will be doing. Most of you come Monday, you will keep running, and what gives me more confidence than anything else is to know that that's exactly what you'll do."