Revitalizing Security Cooperation in Europe

(As Delivered)

Always great to be back in Moscow, one of my favorite cities, and I am glad to be a part of this conference. Our conversations here today and the ones we have in the coming weeks and months should focus on the steps that we can take today to increase security, stability, and prosperity across Europe. This is especially true in our increasingly networked world. Many of the threats of the 21st century travel undetected on digital wings, with little respect for borders.

Of course, cooperation on security in Europe was not originally built to confront cyber warfare and rogue actors. The institutions that have underpinned European stability for nearly the last half-century were built to manage the massive arsenals of the Cold War. One such institution is the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe or OSCE. The present and future of this organization rest firmly in the implementation of existing commitments, which were built on the sound foundation of the Helsinki principles.

As Minister Lavrov and Secretary General Zannier already, we are approaching the 40th anniversary of the Helsinki Final Act. As we look out at a much different world than the one that existed in the early 1970s, we should focus our collective energies in the Helsinki+40 process on fully implementing existing commitments and identifying how we can strengthen these commitments to meet the new challenges and technologies on the horizon.

At the same time, fundamental principles of the Helsinki Final Act and international law – must be upheld and advanced by the Helsinki+40 process. The failure to achieve peaceful settlements of the conflicts in Georgia, Moldova, and Nagorno-Karabakh affects every aspect of the OSCE’s work. The goals of our Helsinki+40 effort should include steps to address the protracted conflicts, to ensure an effective response to situations of crisis or tension, and to facilitate the presence of the OSCE when requested by a participating State.

Increasingly, there is evidence that OSCE states are failing to implement OSCE commitments and seeking to diminish the centrality of the human dimension of security. History has demonstrated that indivisible security among states depends on respect for human rights within states. Human rights and fundamental freedoms are non-negotiable and not to be doled out or denied by governments.

Another important part of the European security architecture is the three-pillared conventional arms control regime. The Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE), the Open Skies Treaty, and the Vienna Document’s confidence and security-building measures – provide a foundation for stability in our strategic relationships. Each regime is important and contributes to security and stability in a unique way; when they are working in harmony, the result is greater confidence for all of Europe.

First, I want to touch on the very successful Open Skies Treaty, one of the most wide-ranging international arms control efforts to date to promote openness and transparency in military forces and activities. More than ten years after the Treaty’s entry into force, it remains a solid regime. The observation flights, almost 1000 to date, serve to enhance mutual confidence. They also provide an opportunity for our governments – in most cases, military personnel – to regularly and effectively work together.

One of the challenges we face for the continued success of the Treaty is the future availability of resources. The Treaty will only be as good as the States Parties make it, and we cannot make it as effective with old aircraft and sensors. For its part, the United States has committed to transition from the film-based cameras to digital sensors. We urge all parties to redouble their efforts to modernize the Treaty to allow for the use of these sensors and ensure sufficient assets for future operations.

The Vienna Document also plays a vital role in European security. This set of politically-binding confidence and security building measures, which applies to all 57 member nations of the OSCE, has contributed immeasurably to Europe-wide military reassurance. It serves as a useful template for other regions of the world, as countries look to build confidence in the military intentions of their neighbors.

We need to modernize the Vienna Document with two goals in mind: to strengthen existing provisions; and to ensure the Document remains relevant to our current security challenges. Lowering thresholds for notification of military activities, for example, is a vital step to bring the document in line with the smaller military forces that now exist.

Last, but by no means least, we have the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe, or CFE. Since its entry into force, more than 72,000 pieces of Cold War military equipment – tanks, armored combat vehicles, artillery, combat aircraft, and attack helicopters – have been eliminated. Under CFE, thousands of inspections have taken place at military sites all over Europe, dramatically increasing confidence and military predictability on the continent.

CFE remains important to the United States, and for European security as a whole, but we are at a difficult crossroads. Russia ceased implementation of its CFE obligations in December 2007. After several years of encouraging Russia to resume implementation, in November 2011, the United States ceased carrying out certain obligations under the CFE Treaty with regard to Russia. We were joined by our NATO Allies that are party to the Treaty, as well as Georgia and Moldova, in taking this step – in all, 24 of the 30 countries that are party to the Treaty.

We know that conventional arms control has contributed substantially to stability and security in Europe. That is why we have embarked upon a ground-up reexamination of the entire conventional arms control enterprise looking toward the future. NATO confirmed the importance of conventional arms control at the 2012 Chicago Summit:

Allies are determined to preserve, strengthen and modernize the conventional arms control regime in Europe, based on key principles and commitments, and continue to explore ideas to this end.

Modernization is the key word here. We have made a serious investment in building the current security architecture in Europe; now we must modernize it.

It is clear that conventional arms control, done right, can significantly improve security on the continent by helping to address today’s concerns. We must adapt and improve upon that investment to meet our current and future security needs, and do it in a way that is efficient and effective for all countries involved, while preserving key principles. These include the right of states to choose whether to allow foreign forces to be stationed on their territories and transparency among all parties, which is essential for preserving confidence during negotiations.

Like all allies, the United States wants to see a true strategic partnership between NATO and Russia. One of the major practical achievements of the NATO-Russia Council is our collaboration on Afghanistan. Now, as the ISAF operations end in Afghanistan in 2014, it is important to expand our practical cooperation on security issues, build military predictability among us, advance the spirit of reciprocity, and deepen our political dialogue, including on issues where we disagree. We all share common goals, including the creating the conditions to achieve long-term prosperity for all our people. When we do not agree on issues, our relationship should accommodate frank discussion of disagreements in a spirit of mutual respect.

There are many ways that we can partner to advance our mutual security interests and the interests of the international community. For example, we can work together to safeguard and reduce nuclear arsenals, boost our trade and investment, and advance freedom of navigation in the Arctic. Missile defense cooperation is another area we should pursue, and the United States continues to seek a path forward with Russia due to our belief that missile defense cooperation will advance the security interests of us all – the Russian Federation no less than the NATO countries.

The Soviet Union responded confidently to the 1983 Star Wars proposal regarding global missile defense, embracing the notion of technical countermeasures on strategic offensive forces to address this issue. Russia should be no less confident today, when the missile defense system that the United States and its allies are developing is specifically and definitively limited in nature and very capable technical countermeasures are installed on all Russian ICBMs and SLBMs.

Everyone in this hall knows that our collective interests today go well beyond the territory of our nations. What is unique about our collaboration with Europe is that the issues we address truly span the globe. Such global focus is absolutely essential in our changing world, where emerging powers and far-flung events can have profound impact in each of our countries.

The United States and everyone here knows that we have a lot of work to do on European security, and we will be challenged politically, economically, and in security terms. We are going to have to be smart, nimble and patient. Threats that spread across many nations and millions of square miles cannot and will not be eliminated overnight, and we all know that. Nevertheless, a safe and secure Europe is worth the effort of cooperation, and I know that we are all up to the challenge.

Thank you very much for your attention. I look forward to our discussions.

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Azerbaijan's National Day

I am delighted to congratulate the people of Azerbaijan as you observe Republic Day this May 28.

The United States and Azerbaijan have built a vibrant partnership, and we are committed to help buttress Azerbaijan’s independence, strengthening its democratic institutions and promoting economic reforms.

On security matters, we are especially grateful for Azerbaijan’s commitment to the future of Afghanistan as our troops stand side by side on behalf of peace and security.

In addition, many years of bilateral energy cooperation will reach another milestone next month when the ultimate terminus of the Southern Corridor becomes known.

As you celebrate this special day, we look forward to working with you to build a more peaceful and prosperous world.

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Georgia's National Day

It is my pleasure to send my warmest regards to the people of Georgia as you celebrate your Independence on May 26.

Our two countries share a close partnership, built on a firm foundation of shared values and mutual interests. We remain committed to Georgia’s territorial integrity and sovereignty within its internationally recognized borders, and to the continued strengthening of Georgia’s democratic institutions.

We honor the commitment of your troops who serve in Afghanistan, including those who have made the ultimate sacrifice, and we continue to support Georgia’s integration into the Euro-Atlantic community.

On this day, we reaffirm our commitment to deepening this friendship, for in unity and partnership, there is strength. I congratulate Georgians around the world as you mark your country’s independence.

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Joint Statement of the Participating Countries in the Amman Ministerial Meeting on Syria

The Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Qatar and the Foreign Ministers of Egypt, France, Germany, Italy, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, U.A.E., U.K., USA and Jordan came together in Amman on May 22nd 2013 to deliberate on the developments in Syria and to reemphasize their support to find a political solution to the crisis in Syria. The representatives from the leadership of the Syrian National Coalition of the Revolutionary and Opposition Forces also attended part of the meeting, and briefed the Ministers on the situation inside Syria.

The Ministers reviewed their discussions in the Rome meeting of February 28th 2013, and recalled the joint statement of Istanbul of April 20th 2013 that supports a political solution in Syria on the basis of the Geneva Communique of June 30th 2012.

The Ministers supported the participation in the Geneva meeting for the purpose of the full implementation of the outcomes of the first Geneva meeting to end the bloodshed, fulfill the legitimate aspirations of the Syrian people, preserve the territorial integrity of the country, and strengthen the national unity amongst all components of the Syrian national fabric. The Ministers emphasized the central role of the United Nations Security Council in the realization of this effort.

The Ministers condemned in the strongest terms the use of heavy weapons including ballistic missiles against the people, and deplored the ethnic cleansing that the regime is pursuing as seen recently in Banias, and declared that such crimes will not go unpunished.

The Ministers stressed that the political process to reflect positively and tangibly on the daily lives of the Syrian civilian population, including the release of prisoners, the delivery of humanitarian assistance and end the killing of civilians.

The Ministers identified as the corner stone of a political solution the formation of a transitional governing body through mutual consent, within a defined and agreed upon timeframe, to assume full executive authority, including all powers of the Presidency in addition to control over the armed forces and the security and intelligence apparatuses, for an agreed upon and defined timeframe for the transitional period. The Ministers affirmed that the final objective of the transitional period should include the adoption of a new Syrian constitution that guarantees the equal rights of all citizens.

The Ministers underlined that the attainment of the political solution that meets the aspirations of the Syrian people means, as stated in the Abu Dhabi joint statement of the May 13th 2013, that Assad, his regime, and his close associates with blood on their hands cannot play any role in the future of Syria.

The Ministers reiterated their support to the Syrian National Coalition of the Revolutionary and Opposition Forces and welcomed the efforts by the Coalition to expand their base of representation to include all components of Syrian society, and emphasized the central and leading role of the Coalition in the opposition delegation to the anticipated international conference on Syria. Furthermore, the Ministers reiterated the right to self defense of the Syrian people, and committed to offer additional support to reinforce the role and capacity of the Supreme Military Council (SMC).

The Ministers expressed their strong concern over the increasing presence and growing radicalism on both sides of the conflict and terrorist elements in Syria; a matter that deepens the concerns for the future of Syria, threatens the security of neighboring countries and risks destabilizing the wider region and the world.

The Ministers denounced the intervention of foreign combatants fighting on behalf of the regime, and consider their presence a flagrant intervention on Syrian territory and a serious threat to regional stability. In this context, the Ministers stressed in particular the operations conducted by Hezbollah in Qusair and elsewhere and called for the immediate withdrawal of Hezbollah, fighters from Iran, and other regime allied foreign fighters from Syrian territory.

The Ministers expressed their deep concern over the deteriorating humanitarian conditions in Syria, as well as the threat they pose to the stability and security of neighboring countries hosting Syrian refugees. They underlined the importance of cross border humanitarian operations and called upon the international community to support host countries to address the pressures arising from hosting refugees based on the principles of burden sharing and to prevent any implications for international peace and security.

The Ministers viewed with extreme concern the growing number of reports and strong indications of the use of chemical weapons by the regime in Syria. The Ministers emphasized the importance of enabling the UN to conduct a comprehensive investigation regarding the use of such weapons. The Ministers stressed that there will be severe consequences if these reports are confirmed.

The Ministers also emphasized that until such time as the Geneva meeting produces a transitional government, they will further increase their support for the opposition and take all other steps as necessary.

Finally, the Ministers agreed to strengthen cooperation and coordination among themselves and with international partners to ensure the successful convening of the international conference leading to a political solution to the Syrian crisis.

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Attack in London

The United States condemns today’s attack in the Woolwich district of London. We stand with our U.K. allies in the face of such senseless violence. Our thoughts and condolence are with the family of the victim and the British people.

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Assistant Secretary Jose Fernandez Travels to Mexico, Turkey, Bangladesh, and Spain

Assistant Secretary of State for Economic and Business Affairs Jose W. Fernandez will travel to Mexico, Turkey, Bangladesh, and Spain May 20-29, 2013. He will meet with government and business leaders to further U.S. economic relations with the four countries.

From May 20-21, Assistant Secretary Fernandez will meet with government officials in Mexico City to discuss entrepreneurship, innovation, telecommunications, transportation, trade, and other economic issues.

Assistant Secretary Fernandez will then travel to Ankara from May 22-24, leading the U.S. delegation to the 10^th U.S.–Turkey Economic Partnership Commission (EPC) meeting. The EPC serves to advance the United States strong and growing economic partnership with Turkey on entrepreneurship, innovation, intellectual property rights, trade, and investment.

From May 25-28, Assistant Secretary Fernandez will visit Dhaka to participate in the second annual U.S.–Bangladesh Partnership Dialogue. He also will meet with government and business leaders to discuss trade, investment, and labor issues.

Assistant Secretary Fernandez will travel to Madrid from May 28-29, meeting with government and private sector officials to discuss the Spanish economic reform agenda, investment climate, and progress on intellectual property rights enforcement.

For updates, follow Assistant Secretary Fernandez on Facebook and Twitter @EconEngage.

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Outcomes at the World Telecommunication/Information and Communication Technology Policy Forum

Daniel Sepulveda, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State and U.S. Coordinator for International Communications and Information Policy, led a U.S. delegation to the World Telecommunication/Information and Communication Technology Policy Forum (WTPF) in Geneva, Switzerland this week.

Discussions were conducted by the International Telecommunication Union and focused on adoption of Internet Protocol version 6 (iPv6), promoting Internet Exchange Points to advance Internet connectivity, and supporting the multi-stakeholder model of Internet governance.

The forum sought to adopt six consensus-based opinions on Internet issues, validating the multi-stakeholder process which brought together governments, the technical community, civil society, and academia. The six opinions form a common denominator for future discussions on Internet governance.

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Assistant Secretary Dr. Kerri-Ann Jones To Travel to Geneva and Galway

Dr. Kerri-Ann Jones, Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs, will travel to Geneva, Switzerland May 20-22 and Galway, Ireland May 23-25.

In Geneva, Dr. Jones will join a delegation led by Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to the World Health Assembly. Dr. Jones will speak at an event hosted by the Government of Singapore on emergency risk management and public health preparedness.

In Galway, Dr. Jones will head the U.S. delegation to “The Atlantic – A Shared Resource,” a meeting on U.S. cooperation with the European Union and Canada on ocean observing and oceans literacy.

In her capacity as the U.S. co-chair of the trilateral U.S.-Ireland Research and Development Partnership, Dr. Jones will join her Irish and Northern Irish co-chairs to visit the National University of Ireland in Galway and discuss ocean research projects funded through the Partnership.

For more information, please contact Patrick Hudak at hudakpm@state.gov, (202) 647-3253.

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Norway's Constitution Day

On behalf of President Obama and the people of the United States, I congratulate the people of Norway on your Constitution Day this May 17.

The United States and our NATO Ally Norway’s strong friendship is vital in the face of global challenges. We’re natural partners in addressing today’s most important international issues.

From promoting stability in Syria and Afghanistan, to advancing peace in the Middle East and protecting the Arctic, together, as we discussed this past week in the Arctic Council, our partnership is making a difference.

The United States greatly appreciates Norway’s leadership in all of these areas, and we look forward to many years of cooperation creating a more stable and prosperous future for all.

On this special day, I extend our warmest wishes to the people of Norway.

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Remarks at Lunch Honoring Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan

It’s my honor to welcome all of you to the Department of State, especially our very distinguished guests, Prime Minister Erdogan and Mrs. Emine Erdogan and her family, her beautiful family, who are here with her; Deputy Prime Minister Arinc and Mrs. Arinc; and Foreign Minister Davutoglu and his wife; and our friends from the Turkish-American community. We’re pleased to have all of you here.

I’m very pleased to be here also, obviously, with my good friend, the Vice President of the United States, and Dr. Jill Biden. I also want to recognize my wife, Teresa, who is here. And I want to welcome Turkey’s Ambassador to the United States Namik Tan and Fugen Tan, Mrs. Tan. Thank you for being with us.

Throughout my first 100 days as Secretary of State, I visited no country more than I have visited Turkey. I’ve been there three times already, and to put that in perspective, I have been home only twice. (Laughter.)

So I very much appreciate that my friends in Turkey have welcomed me into their homes. I’ve had the pleasure of marveling at the Foreign Minister’s extraordinary collection of calligraphy. I’ve experienced the warm hospitality of our friends, and I have laid a wreath at Anitkabir and the beautiful monument to the founder of the republic. And in our many conversations in Ankara and Istanbul, in Rome, in Brussels, and in what I think, Ahmet, are almost daily telephone calls, we have strengthened our very strong personal relationship and our strategic alliance.

So I’m honored to return your warm hospitality by welcoming you here to Washington to the Harry Truman Building. After all, it was his defining policy in the aftermath of World War II, the Truman Doctrine, that cast the modern relationship between the United States and Turkey. And it is a relationship that is shared, rooted in democratic values, freedom, pluralism, and justice. Five years after Truman outlined his vision, Turkey joined NATO, and our mutual commitment to regional peace and security has grown only stronger in the decades since.

Of course, our alliance, like any alliance, requires vigilance. And on the day that I was sworn in as Secretary, a suicide bomber in Ankara took the life of a Turkish guard at the U.S. Embassy, Mustafa Akarsu. And he bravely stood in front of that bomb to save the lives of countless others. We grieve his loss and those killed just this past weekend, the victims of two car bombings in Reyhanli, and America’s thoughts are with those who mourn their loved ones and those who wait for their loved ones’ wounds to heal.

We all gather here knowing that we have a distance to go to make our world more secure and stable, and never has that been – that effort – been more important than it is today. So it’s comforting to know that where the thorniest problems exist, we look beside us and we find Turkey at the table helping to lead.

The crisis in Syria, the new challenges exposed by the transitions in the Arab world, the opportunity to forge peace in the Middle East – in each of these priorities Turkey has been and will continue to be a vital partner.

This is in the nature of Turkey. Ninety years ago, Ataturk wrote a beautiful letter to the United States Congress telling America that the nation that he founded shares our love of liberty, independence, and democracy. He said, “Keep your heart open to the Turkish people.” “Turks,” he said, “are just like you, sincerely striving for the promotion of progress and justice in the world.”

Today, your rich culture combines the traditions of the East and the West, the ancient and the modern, just as your country spans Europe and Asia. Your growing economy capitalizes on the innovation of extraordinary citizens, and your proud place on the global stage is reflected in your readiness to address the world’s most pressing problems. Your success is your own creation.

But Mr. Prime Minister, what I think we all most appreciate about the U.S.-Turkish relationship is that it’s grounded not just on high-level diplomatic initiatives alone. What truly drives this friendship are our students and our scholars, our scientists and our artists, our tourists and our entrepreneurs, some of the most accomplished of whom are here with us today. Our alliance is strong because of our people.

I don’t know how many of you know this, but Turkey sends more students to America’s colleges and universities than any other European nation. And I am happy to say that includes the children of Prime Minister Erdogan, Foreign Minister Davutoglu, and President Gul. A couple of them actually studied in my hometown of Boston, where you can find so many Turkish students, folks, that we call it Bostonbul. (Applause.)

The long list of successful exchange students includes Hamdi Ulukaya, who is here today. And when he left eastern Turkey’s dairy country to come to study in upstate New York, he didn’t know a word of English, he had $3,000 to his name. Today, Hamdi employs 3,000 people at Chobani, which runs the two largest yogurt manufacturing facilities in the world. And in the great Turkish tradition of philanthropy, every year Hamdi gives away 10 percent of his company’s profits. (Applause.)

Prime Minister Erdogan, your visit to the United States is really a great celebration of the firm U.S.-Turkish friendship, and we affirm today that it is stronger than those who try to intimidate us with violence, it is tougher than the tests we face together in all corners of the globe, and our arms reach out wider than the waters that separate us. As the proverb says, and I will try this, Dağ dağa kavusmaz, insan insana kavusur. (Applause.) The mountains do not come together, but people do. And it’s up to us to make it so. So thank you for your friendship, Mr. Prime Minister. Welcome to Washington. (Applause.)

The country and the State Department are very fortunate to have a Vice President who is as deeply experienced in foreign policy as Joe Biden. And it is not just words when I say to you that he knows the importance of marrying our interests and our values. Joe and I – excuse me, the Vice President and I (laughter) – have been on a journey together for – since 1972, and we served together on the Foreign Relations Committee for 26 years. We used to joke about the fact that those of us sitting to the left of the Vice President – Paul Sarbanes, Chris Dodd, myself – we thought we would never, any of us, be chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee because he had such a strong heartbeat and he was so young. (Laughter.) (Inaudible) part, I totally screwed it up. (Laughter.)

So I’ll just summarize by saying very quickly the Vice President, when he served in the Senate, was the leading voice, the conscience really, that called to account America’s actions in Bosnia. He was prescient with respect to Iraq and Afghanistan. I think he was the first American on the ground with President Karzai before he became president, days after he went into the country. He’s always been on the cutting edge, the leading edge, of our foreign policy issues. We are lucky, Mr. Prime Minister, to have a Vice President who is as knowledgeable about foreign policy and as much of a supporter of the enterprise in the State Department.

Ladies and gentlemen, the Vice President of the United States Joe Biden. (Applause.)

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Remarks at the Arctic Council Ministerial Session

This video is available with closed captioning on YouTube.

It’s an honor to be here in Kiruna, and I begin by saying that there are many areas where the eight Arctic states’ interests overlap significantly. And despite our different sizes and our different cultures, and many of the varied interests that we’ve heard today from permanent participants, we share many values and priorities. But there is nothing that should unite us quite like our concern for both the promise and the challenges of the northern-most reaches of the earth.
What makes this organization so important is that the consequences of our nations’ decisions don’t stop at the 66^th parallel. And that’s especially true today, when the threat of climate change is as ominous as ever, its effects are as tangible as ever, and the courage – literally, the courage – that we summon in the coming months and years is as crucial as ever. This is one of the most obvious shared challenges on the face of the planet today. I don't think there’s any one of us here who hasn’t visibly noticed with our own eyes or experienced the changes in fragile ecosystems.

When I was a senator, I worked with the late Senator Ted Stevens of Alaska in order to end driftnet fishing on the high seas. And more than once I rewrote America’s fisheries laws, the Magnuson-Stevens Act, to try to protect our fisheries. But the truth is that today fisheries all across the planet are challenged with too much money chasing too few fish. Today, as Secretary of State, I come here keenly aware that the long list of challenges – acidification, pollution, ice melt, rising sea levels, disappearing species, and indiscriminate development practices – all of these carry even more challenges downstream, so to speak, to each of our economies, to our national security, and to international stability.

So Carl, I applaud the Arctic Council, which addresses these challenges, and your exemplary leadership of the last two years in tenure. And I’m pleased to look forward to Canada’s leadership.

I’m pleased that President Obama, just a few days ago, released the U.S. National Strategy for the Arctic Region, reaffirming that a secure and well-managed Arctic marked by international cooperation and conflict – an absence of conflict – is a key policy priority of the United States. And we look forward to filling out the details of that with all of you over the course of the next few years.

I also look forward to joining my fellow ministers in signing the oil agreement that we will reach today. That’s an important framework for cooperation in the event of an emergency. And as the United States was reminded painfully in the Gulf of Mexico three years ago, we need strong partnerships and shared operational guidelines before a disaster occurs in order to make sure that we’re able to respond. So we need to prevent crises from happening in the first place, and that frankly brings me back to climate change.

Just last week in one of the major newspapers in the United States, the New York Times, it was reported that the atmospheric levels of CO2 exceeded 400 parts per million for an entire 24-hour period for the first time in recorded history. That is the highest level of CO2 in three or four million years. Temperatures we know in the Arctic are increasing more than twice as fast as global averages, and they are endangering habitats and they are endangering ways of life.

Last September, the extent of sea ice covering the Arctic reached a record low, threatening marine mammal life and the indigenous and local communities that depend on them. As many of you – or all of you – know, warming also erodes the natural barrier of ice that shields Alaska’s coast from hostile waters, and that causes homes to fall into the sea, it causes pollution. And the thawing of the permafrost, which is increasingly releasing methane, which is 20 times more damaging than CO2 – that has led to the first Arctic wildfires in thousands of years.

So the scientific research in each of our countries is more imperative than ever in order to protect the atmosphere, the global economy, the food chain, and the air we breathe. And we need to do more – all of us – urgently. The businesses investing in the region are obviously crucial to bringing new industries, jobs, and people to the Arctic to promote, but we need to make sure that we are promoting that growth in responsible ways. And we’ve heard from our friends and the permanent participators today about the urgency of that.

So I want to confirm that in all of these efforts, and so many more that we look forward to discussing in the next years, the United States is committed to being a productive and engaged partner. And we look forward to the Canadian chairmanship that begins today. We’re also planning ahead for the U.S. chairmanship from 2015 to ’17. And I greatly respect the hundreds of generations of tradition, culture, and expertise that has been built by the indigenous communities who have called this extraordinary place home for thousands of years. They shape this council’s work and they guide our decision-making, and they should.

America became an Arctic nation only about 150 years ago, when another Secretary of State, William Seward, had the vision to purchase Alaska, dramatically changing, not only our map but our choices, our landscape, our resources, and our identity as a nation. So we’re proud to join you today in the important work of protecting and preserving our shared Arctic, not just for the nations that touch it, but for the way that what happens here, for the stewardship that we have responsibility to execute, for the way that it touches every single person around the world and our way of life.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

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Remarks with Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov at the Arctic Council Ministerial Session

[Kiruna Declaration Signing takes place.]

So please, if there is questions.

QUESTION: If I could ask Secretary Kerry and Minister Lavrov, you’ve spent a lot of time in the last few weeks and months working together on a variety of issues from Syria to the Arctic issues that you’ve discussed in the last two days. And yesterday, you had an American official from the Embassy in Moscow who was detained by the Russians and accused of espionage. Is that constructive to the kind of work, collaborative work, that you’re trying to do now? Thank you.

SECRETARY KERRY: (Off mike.) Testing – one, two, three, four, five. So for all of you who didn’t hear that answer, I have nothing to add with respect to the situation regarding an Embassy official in Moscow.

And I’m grateful to my friend Sergey Lavrov, the Minister of Russia, for a very productive meeting yesterday in which we did the large business of our countries, which was facing first of all the challenge of Syria. We met at length. We both agreed that there is much work to be done. We understand what each of us has to do in the next days. We’re very optimistic that we can get that work done. We’ve both been in touch with the United Nations, with Ban Ki-moon, with other participants. Each of us has agreed to work very hard with respect to the flow of people that we are in touch with, the foreign ministers, the opposition, the Assad regime, others, in order to bring the parties to the table. And I think it’s fair to say that both of us are confident about the direction that we’re moving in and very, very hopeful that within in a short period of time the pieces will have come together fully so that the world, hopefully, will have an opportunity to be given an alternative to the violence and destruction that is taking place in Syria at this moment.

FOREIGN MINISTER LAVROV: Thank you. I can confirm that we had a very productive meeting yesterday. We did not discuss the incident to which you refer. Everything we should have to say – we, the Russian side – on that particular incident was stated yesterday by the spokesman of the Russian Foreign Ministry. I have nothing to add.

As to the substance of our cooperative meeting yesterday, I would share the assessments just presented by John. We have a very clear initiative on the table. The Russian-American proposal to convene a conference to start implementing the Geneva communique of June last year – it’s self explanatory and what we need now is to mobilize support for this initiative on the basis of what was, I believe, in Geneva and what was proposed by Washington and Moscow – to mobilize support first of all by all the Syrian groups, the regime and all opposition groups; and second by those outside actors who have influence on either one or the other Syrian group.

That’s what we discussed. That’s what we will be doing in our conference with all outside players and with the Syrian, but especially in the expectation of the two events, which the opposition is holding one, a meeting by National Coalition in Istanbul. And about the same time there is – there will be a meeting in (inaudible) convened by the internal opposition, in particular by the National Coordinating Committee. It is very important that the participants of both meetings express their clear support for the Russian-American initiative to start implementing the Geneva communique. Thank you.

SECRETARY KERRY: If I could just add, I want to emphasize the degree to which we both believe Russia and the United States share a belief that is extremely constructive and positive that we are working together cooperatively in an effort to try to implement a peaceful resolution based on Geneva I, which recognizes the need for a transition government with full executive authority by mutual consent. That’s what we’re working towards, and I don't think it’s insignificant that at this moment in time we are finding this common ground and working closer together.

FOREIGN MINISTER BILDT: Next question over there.

QUESTION: Hello. Yelena Chernenko, Kommerserant Daily Newspaper. As far as I understand, your ministers, all of the requests from the countries to become observer members have been accepted today. The question is, does such a high number of observers not make the Arctic Council less effective and is there a limit of how many observers in the future there might be in the Council, or it can it grow forever, the number of observers? Thank you.

FOREIGN MINISTER BILDT: That’s why we have also adopted (inaudible) the about the recent procedure earlier with some procedures, so there’s a very clear what observers are and what observers aren’t. That’s been the very purpose of that work that’s been done.

As to your question, I would say it demonstrates the broad international acceptance of the role of the Arctic Council, because by being observer, these organizations and states, they accept the principles and the sovereignty of the Arctic Council on Arctic issues. So I think it – as a matter of fact, it strengthens the position of the Arctic Council on the global scene. That is why this is, that we hope that the remaining issues that are indicated concerning (inaudible) is that that will be sorted out fairly quickly, and I trust that will be the case.

One there before we --

QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, what will be your priority when it comes to Arctic issues in the future?

SECRETARY KERRY: Well, I think it’s premature for me, prior to assuming the chairmanship, with my Canadian friend standing to the left of me, to start laying out the agenda. But as I said in my statement, the Arctic is a precious treasure for all of the world. And the United States recognizes that we are one of the two major contributors to global emissions. More than 50 percent of the world’s emissions come from two countries, China and the United States. And then there are 17 to 20 major emitters, as we know, some of whom are standing here and others are not, who are responsible for well over 90 percent. So you have small nations who are hugely impacted by the long-time development practices of other nations.

President Obama has twice now this year at significant events embraced the importance of dealing with climate change, once in his Inaugural Address, and second time in his State of the Union message. And we are looking at every single option available to us to act responsibly. But no one nation can solve this. The United States of America today is below Kyoto levels in emissions. People don’t know that. The United States today is actually below the Waxman-Markey legislation mandates that didn’t pass. So we’re doing things – automobile efficiency, standards, efficiencies, building codes, fleet purchase, all kinds of things, but not enough. No one is doing enough.

The problem is that everything that we do or everything one other nation does is going to be wiped out by China or another nation if they continue with coal firepower at the rate that we are proceeding. So the warning signals are all there, and I can assure that when our chairmanship time comes around we will pick up on Leona’s appropriate concern for indigenous populations and we will build on that with respect to the needs for all of us to do things that recognize the global impact on the ecosystem of what is happening in the Arctic.

FOREIGN MINISTER BILDT: Thanks and just two final remarks from my side. First that I do wish, on the issue that was mentioned earlier, that spirit of cooperation, of true Arctic cooperation of these few days, will continue to inspire U.S. to leading members of the UN Security Council when you proceed on your – on the enormously important issue of Syria.

Secondly, let me just on behalf of all us thank the city of Kiruna for having the your neighbors occupy this beautiful city hall and thank also the people of Kiruna and for your understanding that we might have messed up your town for a couple of days, but I hope that you accept that we’ve come here for not only one but for a couple of valuable purposes. Thanks very much. (Applause.)

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Meeting With Staff and Families of Embassy Stockholm

AMBASSADOR BRZEZINSKI: Mr. Secretary, we’ve had some formal meetings this morning. Now it’s the family meeting. Welcome to the U.S. Embassy Stockholm family community, and I just want to say, Mr. Secretary, my colleagues at U.S. Embassy Stockholm, my wife Natalia and I welcome you to our home, which is also your home. Mr. Secretary, I am so honored to introduce you to the U.S. Embassy community.

Ladies and gentlemen, Secretary of State Kerry is a statesman in the full meaning of the word, and what I mean is this: As a young man, he fought for our country. He then went into public service. He was a prosecutor, he was a lieutenant governor, he became a U.S. senator. In 2004, he was the Democratic nominee for the presidency. He was Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and now he’s Secretary of State. This is a dream profile for any Secretary of State. (Laughter). But I also want to say this – that Secretary of State Kerry knows in the most personal way what war is really like. As I said, as a young man he fought for our country. And he knows that sometimes it is something that has to happen, but it’s not something that you go into lightly. And so this combination of background – his military service, his public service – puts him in the unique position to take on the challenges of our time.

And Mr. Secretary, I’m so honored to introduce you to our community here in Sweden. In our embassy, we have Americans and locally employed staff who have served in Afghanistan, in Libya, in Yemen, and in Iraq, and thanks to this embassy team, today Sweden stands at the very forefront of taking on the challenges of our time. Our Swedish hosts are honored and proud that you are here. We are so pleased that you have taken this historic visit. This is the first visit by a U.S. Secretary of State that involves two cities, and we welcome you here with the same enthusiasm that our Swedish hosts do. Today America and Sweden stand together as never before. Thank you for coming, Mr. Secretary. We’re honored that you’re here, and welcome. Valkommen.

SECRETARY KERRY: Valkommen. Thank you. (Applause.) Hej. That’s why we all say “hey” in America now. We’re actually copying the Swedish. Thank you for a wonderful, generous welcome, Mark. I really appreciate it. And Natalia, thank you so much for opening your home to our crowd early today. And thank you all of you for crowding in here and coming over. We really appreciate it. I gather it’s not that far. It’s just around the corner, right? (Inaudible) building in – (laughter) – sorry about that. (Laughter.) Anyway, I was looking at this yellow line. This is a yellow brick road. You kind of follow this pot at the rainbow or something.

Hi, kids. How are you? Hi. How are you? You guys okay? Why are you hiding? Come on over here. Come up here with me. Come on. I want to get all the kids up here. Come on, guys. Don’t be bashful. Everybody’s being bashful? There we go. (Applause.) These are the guys. How are you doing, men? How are you? How old are you?

PARTICIPANT: I’m 13.

SECRETARY KERRY: All right. How are you? Nice to meet you. How are you doing? Hi, sweetie. Come on up here. What’s your name?

PARTICIPANT: Mia.

SECRETARY KERRY: Mia. Is that right? Did I get that right? Okay. Come on over here, guys. Come on. Come on, guys. Have some fun while we’re at it. You’re looking pretty sharp. (Laughter.) Come on up here. That a boy. Wow. Does he look good today, huh? Anyway, look at these guys coming up here. Come on up here, everybody. Will you come up here, young lady? It doesn’t matter, she’s bashful. I don’t know if I can handle him. (Laughter.) I’m an all-purpose Secretary of State, but that’s really – (inaudible.) Who’s that?

PARTICIPANT: He’s Julian.

SECRETARY KERRY: Julian. How old is Julian?

PARTICIPANT: He’s four months old.

SECRETARY KERRY: Fantastic. That’s a big four months. He’s a big four months. Hi, how are you? Yeah. Anyway, well, thanks for coming up. These kids are what it’s all about as everybody knows. And I was this guy. I was a year younger than this guy when I traveled abroad with my dad who was in the Foreign Service, and we went to Berlin, Germany not too long after World War II, which really makes me kind of old, doesn’t it? And it was really fun. I learned so much I want you to know. You guys are going to – I hope you learn language. I know that Aurora – where’s Aurora? There she is. Hi. (Laughter.) She’s speaking fluent Swedish, better than English, right? Pretty good. Congratulations. And that stays with you for a lifetime, so it’s a lot of fun. It really is. Hi there. You’re lost. (Laughter.) He’s sort of got the idea, but that – he’s totally (inaudible).

Anyway, I’m – I really did learn a lot when I was a kid biking around Berlin and having fun. And then we went to Oslo. So I spent a couple years in Oslo. So I got a sense of what you love here and the passion of this place. I learned how to say (in Swedish). (Laughter.) And in the end I learned how to say (in Swedish). (Laughter). So – but I didn’t have anybody to say it to. So anyway – (laughter) – it was fun.

Thank you all for being here. Where is Bill Stewart? Is he here? Bill, where are you? What is it? Thirty years? How many years? (Applause.) Thank you

PARTICIPANT: Do you remember me? I took you everywhere.

SECRETARY KERRY: Yeah, I do remember you, yeah. How many years? Thirty?

PARTICIPANT: Twenty-nine.

SECRETARY KERRY: Twenty-nine years. Well, it’s pretty amazing. Been a terrific leader and one of the people who help makes it go. And I want to thank – don’t run away. It’s alright, stay up here. (Laughter.) Let the kids shine in front of you there. There you go. And I really wanted to thank Mark and Natalia. I am a huge Brzezinski fan. I wake up every morning to – I have to be careful how I say this – watch Mika – (laughter) – on television, and she’s brilliant, as we all know. And his dad and his mom are just two of the brightest, most energetic exciting people I’ve ever met, and his father has been a great supporter and advisor and enormously helpful on any number of issues and one of the smartest people in foreign policy in our land. So you have a great, great genes that bring you here to this task, and we’re delighted to have you here as enthusiastic and energized as you are. And also, we – we’re engaged, all of us, all of you, every one of us, in an extraordinary challenge, a great mission, and it is about these kids.

The world is full of turmoil right now. Failed states and failing states in some parts of the world are growing faster than democracy and some of the values that we call care about. And there’s an extremism in the air. There are challenges throughout Europe. The economy of Europe, obviously, is facing big, tough choices, and when you have 56 percent unemployment among people – young people, you’ve got a problem in your country, a social fabric, structural problem, and it’s incumbent on all of us to find a way forward to hold this together.

One of the things that we think is most exciting in the possibilities to help do that is the TTIP, the trade partnership – trade and investment partnership. So all of you who are working on that and all of you who are part of that, I mean we’ve got to get Europe to get a mandate through the EU and to begin these negotiations and make it happen, because it could mean millions of jobs.

We also face the challenge of Syria, Egypt, the Maghreb, Sahel, violence, obviously, breaking out in Syria – it’s very, very dangerous, could threaten the entire region – Iran and its nuclear ambitions, Middle East peace process, which has dogged us for years and years and years, and of course, North Korea, where you have this totally untested young leader who is able to threaten nuclear devastation and a host of other global challenges with global climate change, environmental, oceans, I mean, you name it. Humankind on earth is yet to prove that we understand all of the implications of the choices that we make. I can’t think of a partner, literally, any partner who has a better sense of that and is more committed to that that in our partner in Sweden. Sweden gets it. And that’s why I’m proud to be here, to go up to Kiruna in a little while to talk about the Arctic and how we’re going to manage the Arctic, but also about climate change and our challenges. It’s important leadership, and we’re appreciative of Sweden for all that it does.

I want to thank every single one of you, Foreign Service, civil service, political appointees, and particularly locally hired folks. A lot of us come and go, the ambassador, myself, we’re here for four-year terms and so forth. But many of you have been here for a long, long time. Is Katarina Grundstrom here somewhere hiding? No? Not here? Well, I’ve heard about Katarina, something like 37 years? Thirty-seven years of devoted work helping us to speak to the community, to understand the community and work for it. So all of the folks who are locally hired are critical to our ability to be able to form our mission.

Sweden is helping us in Afghanistan, helping us in Syria, helped in Libya, helps us on climate, helps us on a host of other human rights and other kinds of challenges, Kosovo, Bosnia. You name it, Sweden steps up and Sweden gives significant amounts of money. In Afghanistan, they’re committing troops beyond 2014, and they’re doing an extraordinary amount of positive things. So I just say thank you to all of you. He’s okay. He’s good. (Laughter.) He’s got – he wants to give a speech when I finish. (Laughter.) But he doesn’t know I’m a former senator. So I may not finish. (Laughter.) Joking. I’m winding up right now. I want to have a chance to shake hands and say hello to everybody and maybe take some pictures and have a chance to just chat for a minute.

But let me just thank all of you. I do remember what it’s like to be uprooted from school, to leave your friends, to go to a new place, learn a new culture, new language, pack. Packing is awful. But we do it because we’re engaged in one of the great enterprises in life. It is not often you can get up every single day and go out and know that you’re doing something that helps make the world better in tangible ways. And every one of you is an ambassador. You may not get all the privileges and the pay level, but I’ve got news for you. Every day whether it’s a visa, a meeting, an inquiry, answering the telephone, returning a call, you’re the face and voice of America, and people will take an impression away by how you deal with them and what you accomplish for them.

So a profound thank you for being part of the State Department family. We’ve been through some tough days in the past year or so. Don’t let it get to you. We are going to keep on moving on our agenda, and we’re not going to let the politics of Washington get in the way of the high standards that we’ve set and what we do. I will have your back. I’m counting on you to have mine. All right? Thank you all. God bless. (Applause.)

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Remarks With Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt

This video is available with closed captioning on YouTube.

At the heart of our relations are the core values that we share: freedom, democracy, respect for human rights. It’s also the same values that Raoul Wallenberg stood up for. But the U.S. is also a key partner in trade and investment. Sweden is actually one of the largest investors per capita in the U.S. Sweden’s foreign – Swedish foreign direct investment and trade with Sweden create around 250,000 jobs in the U.S.

During our talks today, we have stressed the importance of a EU-U.S. trade and investment agreement. It could actually increase trade flows with as much as 20 percent. It’s together one third of the world trade, world economy, we are talking about. We also explained the difficult economic situation that many EU member-states now are experiencing and the measures that are taken to revert to growth and employment.

We have also talked about the disastrous situation in Syria and developments in Afghanistan. I’ve informed the Secretary of State about the discussions going on in Sweden at the moment of our engagement in Afghanistan post-2014. Afghanistan will be one of our most important partners in development aid in the coming years.

So there is a common understanding between Sweden and the U.S. on many of these questions. Your visit will help develop our shared views and relations even further. And so I wish you the best of luck both in Stockholm and now heading for Kiruna. I mentioned I made my military service there. It’s a meeting with the Arctic Council, but it will also be a meeting with the Arctic climate, could actually be some snow as well, so be prepared.

Welcome.

SECRETARY KERRY: Well, Prime Minister Reinfeldt, thank you very much. I’m from Boston, so I’m prepared. (Laughter.) I’m really delighted to be here with you today and I look forward to getting to Kiruna later in the day. I didn’t know you had done your military service there, so I’m going to check out just how safe you made it for us. (Laughter.)

PRIME MINISTER REINFELDT: Absolutely.

SECRETARY KERRY: It’s a real pleasure for me to be back in Stockholm. I came here a number of years ago when I was traveling through this part of the world working on the issue of acid rain, and we made a lot of progress with respect to the Montreal Protocol. We now have to make a lot of progress with respect to the challenge of global climate change, and we talked about that earlier today.

But I want to thank – I want to begin today by just thanking the Prime Minister and the citizens of Sweden and your Foreign Minister Carl Biltd, who had to leave us to go up to Kiruna to prepare for the meetings, and I will join him there later. But I want to thank you for the very strong partnership with the United States of America. We are deeply appreciative. This is an important partnership that is based on our shared values and on a lot of shared aspirations for peace, for better relations between countries, and certainly for the combined security and prosperity of all of our people.

I really want to salute the Prime Minister and the people of Sweden for taking on some of the toughest challenges of our time. The Swedish people should be very, very proud, and I know they are, of the work of their government and their own contributions to significant challenges on a global basis. And this goes way back, from the Balkans to the great challenges of Afghanistan and Pakistan, the Middle East peace process, and now Syria, where Sweden is one of the great contributors, I think one of the more significant contributors to the humanitarian crisis in that area.

We also are very appreciative in the United States for Sweden’s efforts with respect to Afghanistan. In fact, no country receives as much foreign assistance from Sweden as Afghanistan, no other country provides as much foreign assistance in Afghanistan as Sweden does. And it has significantly contributed to the efforts previously in Kosovo, Libya, through NATO, though not even a member of NATO, but it’s made those contributions, and we appreciate it.

It is clear that the United States and Sweden share a common aspiration for the people of Syria. And given the sizeable Syrian community in Sweden, we know that the crisis of Syria is of particular concern to the people of Sweden, and Sweden has therefore been one of the generous donors of humanitarian assistance.

We’re also grateful for Sweden’s very strong stand on sanction and your appointment of a special envoy to the Syrian opposition, and Ake Sellstrom’s significant efforts with respect to the determination of whether or not chemical weapons have been used in Syria is of great importance to all of us. We welcomed him to Washington the other day and we welcome that initiative to try to determine the facts for the world.

We also share a mutual vision for a diplomatic solution to the nuclear threat in Iran. And Sweden deserves great credit for its defense of human rights of the Iranian citizens, and we thank them for that effort, too.

I also want to say that we appreciate Sweden’s partnership because these challenges in Europe and North Africa and Central Asia simply do not belong to one nation; they’re shared by all of us and they affect all of us. And at the top of that list of shared challenges which does not get enough attention, and it’s one of the principal reasons that I came here today to share bilateral meetings with the Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister but also will travel on to Kiruna to take part in the Arctic Council, a principal challenge to all of us of life and death proportions is the challenge of climate change. It is not a challenge that can be solved by any one nation, and in our discussions with the Prime Minister he pointed out to me that, in fact, Sweden’s contribution to the problem of – to the problem of climate change is a tiny point percentage of the total problem. And yet Sweden’s contribution to the solution is much more significant than anything that might be expected because of the level of its own contribution to the problem. So Sweden is way ahead of the curve.

And I have to say that I regret that my own country – and President Obama knows this and is committed to changing it – needs to do more and we are committed to doing more. And we come here to Kiruna with a great understanding of the challenge to the Arctic as the ice melts, as the ecosystem is challenged, the fisheries, and the possibilities of increased commercial traffic as a result of the lack of ice raises a whole set of other issues that we need to face up to. So it’s not just an environmental issue and it’s not just an economic issue. It is a security issue, a fundamental security issue that affects life as we know it on the planet itself, and it demands urgent attention from all of us.

I will have more to say about this tomorrow at the Arctic Council, but I want to thank Sweden for its invaluable leadership as we work to strengthen our cooperation throughout the Arctic and more broadly to try to address very real challenges of life on this planet itself.

Like the United States, Sweden understands the challenge of bringing universities, students, scientists, businesses, cities, a broad array of actors have to come to the table in order to meet this challenge. And we have to produce best practices which can then be translated to action in countries around the world. This is why recently in my trip to China we joined with the Chinese, who together the United States and China represent more than 50 percent of the global emissions of climate change. Recognizing that, we have come together to elevate the dialogue between our countries, and we will be continuing that dialogue in Washington in a very formal way in July in an effort to try to do more to address this issue.

So I come here aware of the challenge with humility but with great respect for what Sweden has been doing in leading on this effort, and we look forward to working together on that and on many other challenges, Mr. Prime Minister. So thank you for a generous welcome today, and I look forward to answering any questions.

MODERATOR: Okay. We have time for a couple of questions. Please state your name (inaudible).

QUESTION: My name is Rolf Forschwidt (ph) from Swedish TV 4. Mr. Secretary, will you please tell us how many number of American soldiers will be kept in Afghanistan post-2014? And also, what do you expect from the Swedish Government, how many people we should keep in the country after 2014?

SECRETARY KERRY: Well, let me begin with the second part of your question, Rolf (ph), and then I’ll go to the first part. How many soldiers Sweden leaves is up to Sweden, not the United States, and I’m not going to announce any expectations, except to say that I know Sweden has already made an announcement about the number of troops that it expects to have on an ongoing basis. And we’re very grateful. We’re very grateful for whatever Sweden decides to do. We believe that as we have said previously, in together, out together. That is the philosophy that has guided us with respect to Afghanistan.

Now, on the number of troops that the United States will leave, I can guarantee you it will be enough to get the mission accomplished that the President has defined, which after 2014 will be to continue to train, equip, and support the Afghan army and also to conduct sufficient counterterrorism operations that Afghanistan cannot be used as a platform to attack people anywhere in the world. The President is in the process right now – this week, next week, the next days – of deliberating about this. And I can tell you that very shortly, not too long from now, the President does intend to make public what his plans are for post-2014. But I can tell you he will – he is committed to continuing to support the mission, he is committed to continuing to support the Afghan military beyond 2014. And I leave it to the President to announce the precise contours of what that will be, but I am convinced that it will be adequate to meet the mission and to complete the task.

The final thing I’ll say is we have not invested in this, all of us together for all of these years, in order to invite failure as we begin to do the very thing we sought to do, which is stand up the Afghan military and capacity and provide a transition. We’re in the middle of that now. This is the first fighting season as the Afghans take the lead, and thus far they’re doing pretty well. So we need to finish this in a way that does honor to the sacrifices and the efforts of a lot of countries for the last 11, 12 years, and I’m convinced we will.

QUESTION: Kim Ghattas with the BBC. Mr. Secretary, first a question for you on Syria. You spoke a while back about needing to change the calculations that President Assad is making as you discuss the possibility of a political transition there. But Mr. Assad and his government forces seem to be making military gains on the ground, they seem to be regaining the upper hand, and it seems as though they are hoping that they can change your calculation about how this transition needs to go forward. They’re not even interested in coming to the table at the moment.

Can you foresee a scenario whereby Mr. Assad will simply stay in power and the conflict will simply go on? He has no interest in coming to the table at the moment with the military gains he’s making.

And Prime Minister, a question for you on North Korea. You represent U.S. interests in North Korea. Do you have any updates on access to Kenneth Bae or any sort of talks with the North Koreans on his status?

PRIME MINISTER REINFELDT: No, not really. As you know, we are present there and also helping a lot of other countries, but I don’t have an update on these talks.

SECRETARY KERRY: With respect to Assad’s calculation, if he decides not to come to the table it will be another one of President Assad’s gross miscalculations. Now, I don’t believe that that is the case at this moment. The Russians – Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has informed me that President Assad has already given him the names of people who will negotiate.

So I don’t know where this information is coming from. You hear all kinds of reports right now. Let me just say to everybody point blank I have talked to the Secretary General in the last few days; I have talked to Special Envoy Lakhdar Brahimi. They are both making plans for this negotiation to take place. I have talked with almost all of the foreign ministers in the Core Group who will be meeting next week together in order to lay plans for this negotiation. The members of the opposition have been in touch. I talked as recently as this morning with General Idris, who is committed to this negotiation process.

And I keep hearing some people suggest somehow that – the process moving away, not closer. I just don’t agree with that. Enormous plans are being laid. This is under the aegis of the United Nations. It’s not up to me to announce a date or the process. It’s up to the UN. But the talks we’ve had with them make it very clear that progress is being made. It’s only been five days since this was announced, and a huge amount of work is already underway. When we announced it, we said towards the end of the month or early June. We expect it to be exactly that, somewhere in early June I would hope. And that’s our current expectation. But as I say, it’s not up to me to set a date.

We will continue to work. We are all in touch; meetings are going on every single day. We believe the only way to settle Syria is through – the best way to settle Syria - is through a negotiated settlement. And that settlement process was set out a year ago in the Geneva communique, which calls for a transitional government with full executive power by mutual consent. The Russians signed onto that, the United States, and many other countries. That is precisely the formula that we are now trying to pursue.

Now, if President Assad decides to miscalculate again about that, as he has miscalculated about his own country’s future over the course of the last years, it is clear the opposition will be receiving additional support, there will be additional efforts made, and unfortunately, the violence will not end. But I know that the opposition and the support group, the Core Group of countries who have been engaged in this for some time, are deeply committed to trying to end the violence, to try to end the bloodshed, to try and save Syria, to keep a Syria as a united country which is available to all of the participants in the country. That includes Alawite, it includes Druze, Sunni, Shia, Christian. All elements of Syrian society should be protected and take part. And that is the approach which we are pursuing as a matter of conscience and also as a matter of practicality. And we hope we’ll have a chance to be able to get to that table. If Assad decides not to come, the world will see how empty his rhetoric is, as well as his intent.

Thank you all very, very much.

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