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Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs

Date: 01/20/2009 Description: Blue envelope icon, used for email subscriptions. State Dept PhotoSign up for Europe and Eurasia email updates.

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The Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs, headed by Assistant Secretary Philip H. Gordon, implements U.S. foreign policy in Europe and Eurasia. The Bureau promotes U.S. interests in the region on issues such as national security, NATO enlargement, coordination with the European Union and other regional organizations, support for democracy, human rights, civil society, economic prosperity, the war on terrorism, and nonproliferation.

U.S. Perspectives on Central and Eastern Europe
Assistant Secretary Gordon (Nov. 4): "This is also a timely conference, because Central and Eastern Europe is in the spotlight this fall.  Not only because of the many policy issues at the forefront which I hope to discuss including Russia and missile defense and NATO and the global financial crisis, but it’s also in the spotlight because this year, of course, marks the 20th Anniversary of the revolutions that toppled dictatorial regimes in the region, and communism.  As I believe you know, this Sunday Secretary Clinton will travel to Berlin for the 20th Anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, to join other European leaders to celebrate that anniversary which set off such a positive domino effect throughout Central and Eastern Europe, liberating tens of millions of people.

These events deserve to be recalled, not just to honor and celebrate those who took part in them, but also to learn the lessons about how to get rid of ideology and authoritarianism and to promote democracy, stability and prosperity -- a set of issues that is, alas, all too relevant for many other parts of the world today." -Full Text


The U.S.-EU Summit
Date: 11/03/2009 Description: President Barack Obama, second from right, listens as Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt, second from left, speaks during a meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2009. High Representative/Secretary General Javier Solana is at left, and European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso is at right.  © AP Image
President Obama welcomed the European Union to Washington. On November 3rd, the President and Vice President met with Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt, European Commission President José Manuel Barroso, and High Representative/Secretary General Javier Solana to build on the discussion begun in Prague on April 5th and to consult on a broad range of strategic issues of mutual concern, including climate change, the global economy, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iran. The European Union and the United States enjoy strong relations and partner together around the world to promote peace, prosperity, and democratic freedoms. Full Text | U.S.-EU Energy Council: Remarks and Briefing


Secretary Clinton's Travel to Europe
Date: 10/13/2009 Description: Secretary Clinton and Foreign Minister Lavrov at the press conference after Bilateral Meeting in Moscow. © State Dept Photos by Valeriy YevseyevAssistant Secretary Gordon (Oct. 8):
"The Secretary is going to start off by going to Zurich, where she will attend the signing of two protocols between the governments of Turkey and Armenia. ...The Secretary will then travel to London, where she will talk with senior UK officials on a wide range of bilateral and transatlantic issues, including Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. ...From London, she will travel to Ireland and Northern Ireland for the first time as Secretary of State. ...Finally, the Secretary will travel to Moscow, where she’ll hold a series Date: 10/13/2009 Description: Secretary Clinton meeting with Russian President Medvedev at Barvikha, Moscow. © State Dept Photos by Valeriy Yevseyevof meetings with Russian officials including President Medvedev and Foreign Minister Lavrov. They’ll review progress and provide further guidance to our negotiators on a successor agreement to START. ...After Moscow, she will travel to Kazan, where she will meet with local officials and hold discussions with religious leaders in Kazan to learn more about Kazan’s experience in fostering tolerance and promoting interfaith dialogue." Full Text | Background Briefing | More from Travel 


A New Era for Transatlantic Cooperation
Assistant Secretary Gordon (Sept. 30):
"I think this President has come to office realizing that we need the world’s support more than ever. I think the American population believes the same. And I think that as we look around the world and think about which partners can help us deal with challenges like Iran, Afghanistan, climate change, and the global financial crisis, that nowhere are there greater and more important partners than in Europe and the European Union." Full Text | Audio


Readout on Azerbaijan, Armenia and Turkey Meetings
Assistant Secretary Gordon (Sept. 28): "It was on Friday that the Secretary met with Foreign Minister Mammadyarov of Azerbaijan. She underscored the United States continued strong support for the Nagorno-Karabakh process. ...This morning, she met with Armenian Foreign Minister Nalbandian and she stressed our very strong support for the continued Turkey-Armenia normalization process. ...Meeting with the Turkish Foreign Minister Davutoglu just now; the Secretary and the foreign minister discussed a very wide range of issues. The U.S.-Turkish partnership is characterized by its depth and its breadth, and so the ministers, I think, reflecting that, talked about Turkey-Armenia, and again, she stressed our support for that process." Full Text | Secretary Clinton's Travel to UNGA


Czech and Georgian Bilateral Meetings
Date: 09/21/2009 Description: Secretary Clinton meets with Jan Kohout, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic, at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. State Dept Image by Michael Gross Assistant Secretary Gordon (Sept. 21):
"The Secretary met with the Czech Foreign Minister Kohout.... And not surprisingly, the core of the session was about missile defense. ...about doing missile defense better in a way that’ll get it up and working sooner, in a way that will cover more countries, in a way that will be more flexible, and in a way that will continue to involve many of our close allies, Date: 09/21/2009 Description: Secretary Clinton meets with Mikheil Saakashvili, President of Georgia, at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. State Dept Image by Michael Grossincluding the Czech Republic. ...The Secretary had a meeting with Georgian President Saakashvili. She emphasized the United States’ ongoing and strong continued support for Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and our view that Russia should implement the terms of the ceasefire agreements of last August and September the previous year." Full Text | Secretary Clinton's Travel to UNGA


Remarks at the German Marshall Fund
Date: 09/09/2009 Description: Deputy Secretary Steinberg delivers remarks at the German Marshall Fund. Photo courtesy of The German Marshall FundDeputy Secretary Steinberg (Sept. 9):
"I think, it raises the question, well, does any of this matter? Does it matter that the President's approval ratings are significantly higher in Europe than his predecessor? Does it matter that America is held in higher regard now than it was in the past? And I think it's important to recognize that as we're all--as practitioners, policy practitioners recognize that this is not just a popularity contest, that we're not in this just to be liked, but rather, because there's a conviction that to some extent, the willingness to see the partners in a favorable light provides a context for making possible the kind of cooperation that we need on real policies. And this is particularly true in cases of democracies for obvious reasons, that while leaders ultimately are elected to do the right thing, that we all recognize that the whole point of democracy is accountability and responsiveness, and to the extent that the governments see their partners as being well regarded by their publics, it becomes easier for them to cooperate and it becomes easier to collaborate on issues, more willing to both tolerate the differences and to seek common ground than when there are suspicions or doubts about the other party's intentions." Full Text


For speaking and interview requests on European and Eurasian Affairs, please fax your request to the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs' Office of Press and Policy Outreach at 202-647-5116.

U.S. and Germany
Secretary Clinton met with German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle. Full Text 

Interview With Der Spiegel
Assistant Secretary Gordon's interview with der Spiegel. -Full Text

United States-Armenia Joint Economic Taskforce
The U.S. Department of State welcomed Nersis Yeritsian, Armenia’s Minister of Economy, and his delegation for the 18th iteration of the U.S.-Armenia Joint Economic Taskforce (USATF). Full Text 

U.S.-Azerbaijan Security Dialogue
Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs Andrew J. Shapiro and Azerbaijani Deputy Foreign Minister Araz Azimov met on November 4, 2009, in Washington, D.C. for the 11th U.S.-Azerbaijan Security Dialogue. Full Text

U.S. Welcomes Agreement in Croatia-Slovenia Talks
We congratulate the Prime Ministers of Slovenia and Croatia on their important agreement signed today in Stockholm, and for their courageous and visionary leadership to resolve this long standing border issue through arbitration. Full Text

U.S. Foreign Policy and the OSCE: Shared Core Values
Assistant Secretary Gordon delivered statement before the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe. Full Text

U.S. and Ukraine Announce Bilateral Energy Security Working Group
The government of the United States and the government of Ukraine warmly welcome the creation of a Bilateral Energy Security Working Group (BESWG) under the auspices of the Strategic Partnership Commission. Full Text

Kosovo-Macedonia Diplomatic Relations Significant Step for Regional Stability
The United States warmly welcomes the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Republic of Kosovo and the Republic of Macedonia, as well as the successful completion of the demarcation of their shared border. Full Text

Bilateral Presidential Commission
The U.S.–Russia Bilateral Presidential Commission is dedicated to identifying areas of cooperation and pursuing joint projects and actions that strengthen strategic stability, international security, economic well-being, and the development of ties between the Russian and American people. Full Text

Security Council Meeting on Kosovo
Ambassador Rosemary A. DiCarlo, U.S. Alternate Representative for Special Political Affairs, delivered remarks in the Security Council Chamber, U.S. Mission to the United Nations. Full Text

Inaugural Flight Transiting Russia
The United States welcomes the inaugural flight of material transiting Russia en route to Afghanistan to support ISAF operations. Full Text

Special Envoys--The E6--Meet in Moscow
The E6 reviewed developments in Sudan since their first meeting in Doha in May. They welcomed signs of progress, including over Abyei and towards full deployment of UNAMID, but noted the fundamental challenges remaining. Full Text

Meeting in Bosnia and Herzegovina
EU and U.S. convene a meeting of political leaders in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Full Text

Policy Responses to Developments in the Western Balkans
Deputy Assistant Secretary Stuart E. Jones testified before the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe. Full Text

U.S. and Armenia
Secretary Clinton met with Armenian Foreign Minister H.E. Edward Nalbandian. Full Text

U.S. and Turkey
Secretary Clinton met with Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu. Full Text

U.S. and Belgium
Secretary Clinton met with Belgian Foreign Minister Yves Leterme. Full Text

Moldova: Election of Prime Minister
Statement on election of Prime Minister of Moldova. Full Text

U.S. and Estonia
Secretary Clinton met with Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Paet. Full Text