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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.

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20th Anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin Wall

Secretary Clinton (Nov. 9): "[W]e remember the Germans on both sides of the wall, but particularly the Germans in the East who stood up and finally were able to say, "No more. Freedom is our birthright and we will take it by our own hands." We know that millions of hearts, of minds, and hands were behind those who literally tore down the wall. But history did not end the night the wall came down; it began anew. We could not know what the people of Berlin nor the people of Germany and Europe would do with this moment. But together, we saw you transform the landscape of this continent and change the course of world events. So Berlin came to stand at the center of a free, peaceful, prosperous, reunified Germany and a free, peaceful, prosperous, unified Europe." Full Text | More from Travel | President Obama's Video Message | Voices of U.S. Diplomacy and the Berlin Wall

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Current U.S.-European Relations

Assistant Secretary Gordon (Nov. 6): "I’d like to start with the issue of general U.S. engagement and the relationship with Europe. Some are recently asking the question whether the global challenges that the United States faces around the world -- Iran, Afghanistan, climate change, financial crisis -- somehow diminishes Europe’s role in our foreign policy. I think when you think about that issue it leads you to a very clear answer which is on the contrary, dealing with these global challenges requires a stronger and more intensive relationship with Europe rather than a lesser engagement with Europe." Full Text

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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 20^th 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 20^th 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

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The U.S.-EU Summit
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

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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

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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

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Czech and Georgian Bilateral Meetings
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, including 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

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Remarks at the German Marshall Fund
Deputy 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

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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.