Secretary of State Rex Tillerson tamped down concerns Tuesday that reports of President Trump referring to African nations as “shithole countries” had damaged diplomatic ties between the U.S. and the African continent.

“At this stage nothing has changed with respect to our relationship with African nations, and we continue to see them wanting to strengthen our relationship in that regard as well,” Tillerson told members of the media at a press conference held at a summit of foreign ministers in Vancouver.