Secretary of State Antony Blinken made the first calls of his tenure on Jan. 26, speaking with his counterparts in Canada, South Korea, Mexico, and Japan, according to the Department of State. The U.S. Senate confirmed Blinken earlier the same day. He made the first call to Canadian Foreign Minister Marc Garneau. According to a readout of the call, Blinken “looks forward to working closely with Foreign Minister Garneau to revitalize our economies and strengthen the broader North American partnership and to address shared challenges, including COVID-19 and climate change, among many others.” “Secretary Blinken highlighted the importance of continued trilateral U.S.-ROK-Japan cooperation, underscored the continued need for the denuclearization of North Korea, and stressed President [Joe] Biden’s commitment to strengthening U.S. alliances,” the readout states. In the call with Mexican Foreign Secretary Marcelo Ebrard, the pair discussed cooperation around the COVID-19 pandemic. Blinken also emphasized “our shared interest in security and …