Admin l Friday, February 03, 2017
WASHINGTON, United States – Newly appointed Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson resumed office on Thursday, stressing America’s commitment to key allies and protection of America’s interest first.
“On his first day at the State Department, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson made a number of introductory calls to key allies and partners”, Acting Spokesperson Mark Toner said in a statement.
He said Tillersom also held a meeting with Germany’s Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel, and spoke by phone with Mexican Foreign Secretary Luis Videgaray, Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland, and the Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu.
“In all of his conversations, Secretary Tillerson stressed America’s steadfast commitment to its key allies and partners as it works to protect the interests and safety of the American people”, the statement said.
Born March 23, 1952, Rex Tillerson is an American businessman, engineer and politician. He began his career as an engineer and holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Texas at Austin.
Tillerson joined Exxon in 1975, and by 1989 he had became general manager of the Exxon USA central production division.
“In 1995, he became president of Exxon Yemen Inc. and Esso Exploration and Production Khorat Inc. In 2006, Tillerson was elected chairman and chief executive officer of Exxon, the world’s 6th largest company by revenue and retired from Exxon effective December 31, 2016”, Wikipedia.
On December 13, 2016, President Donald Trump nominated Tillerson for United States Secretary of State.
Ties with Russia
Tillerson has ties with President Vladimir Putin of Russia. According to Wikipedia, they have been associates since Tillerson represented Exxon’s interests in Russia during President Boris Yeltsin’s tenure.
John Hamre, the President and CEO of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, of which Tillerson is a board member, states that Tillerson “has had more interactive time with Vladimir Putin than probably any other American, with the exception of Dr. Henry Kissinger.”
