Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken did not meet in person during Blinken’s visit to Anchorage this week, but did speak by phone about critical national and international issues impacting Alaska.
The conversation covered a range of topics from environmentally safe oil and gas development in Alaska’s Arctic region, to negotiating an agreement with Canada allowing Americans to resume travel on the highway corridor between Alaska, Canada, and the Lower 48 states, the governor’s press office said.
Dunleavy also stressed the importance of Alaska’s rare earth mineral deposits to the nation’s economy and overall security.
“The goal of my discussion with Secretary Blinken was to encourage him and other members of the Biden administration to engage with Alaska officials on policy decisions impacting our state, before those decisions are made,” Dunleavy said. “My hope is that message leads to a more open dialogue, and we can stop the unilateral decision-making process that’s threatening Alaska’s economy and the ability to raise a family here.”
The phone conversation came after two days of difficult diplomatic talks between White House diplomats and Chinese diplomats, during which the Chinese made it clear they have no respect for the Biden Administration or the United States of America. The Biden Administration has been described by some insiders as having taken a chilly disposition toward Alaska since taking office Jan. 20, 2021.
Read the transcript of the opening remarks from the talks here.
