Under Secretary for Political Affairs Wendy R. Sherman To Travel to Indonesia, India and Bangladesh

Under Secretary for Political Affairs Wendy R. Sherman will travel to Indonesia, India, and Bangladesh from May 21 to May 28.

Under Secretary Sherman will travel to Indonesia May 21-23 to participate in the U.S.-Indonesia Global Policy Dialogue, and will meet with senior Indonesian government officials to discuss bilateral, regional, and global issues. The Global Policy Dialogue is a key component of the U.S.-Indonesia Comprehensive Partnership launched by Presidents Obama and Yudhoyono in 2010, and is a long-term commitment to elevate bilateral relations by intensifying cooperation.

From Indonesia, Under Secretary Sherman will travel to New Delhi, India from May 24-25, where she will meet with External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid, Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai, and other Indian officials to discuss a full range of bilateral and regional issues and preparations for the June U.S.-India Strategic Dialogue. She will then travel to Hyderabad, India on May 25 to engage with private sector leaders on furthering U.S.-India economic cooperation and innovation.

Under Secretary Sherman will then travel to Dhaka, Bangladesh from May 26-28, where she will lead the U.S. delegation to the Second U.S.-Bangladesh Partnership Dialogue and plans to meet Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Foreign Minister Dipu Moni, and the leader of the opposition, Khaleda Zia. The Partnership Dialogue is the premier forum for further expanding and deepening bilateral cooperation on a wide range of bilateral and regional issues, including development, civil society and governance; trade and investment; security and countering violent extremism; science and technology; women’s empowerment and gender equality. The Under Secretary will also lead a roundtable with labor, industry, and government officials to discuss standards in the garment sector in the aftermath of the Rana Plaza tragedy.

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Readout of Secretary Kerry's Meeting With Foreign Minister of Bangladesh Dipu Moni

Secretary of State Kerry and Bangladeshi Minister of Foreign Affairs Dipu Moni met today at the U.S. Department of State. The Secretary highlighted the strong cooperation between our two countries on a broad range of issues and welcomed the second annual Partnership Dialogue that will take place in Dhaka next week, including a Private Sector Forum to further enhance our strong bilateral trade relationship with Bangladesh.

Secretary Kerry expressed our condolences for the tragedy at Rana Plaza and urged rapid progress both on fire and building safety inspection issues and on quick passage of labor law amendments. He also noted the importance of the war crimes trials in the International Crimes Tribunal being conducted in a fair, transparent manner in accordance with international standards.

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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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Remarks With Bangladeshi Foreign Minister Dipu Moni Before Their Meeting

The video is available with closed captioning on YouTube.

And speaking of suffering, the Rana Plaza collapsed, which cost more than 1,000 lives. Everybody in America shared the agony of those losses, and our hearts go out to the families. We hope that this will be able to help all of us cooperate on the issue of labor and labor standards and workers and workers’ rights, obviously. We know you want to work hard to cooperate on that, and there are a number of initiatives we have.

We look forward to our dialogue, our partnership dialogue that will take place in Dhaka in about a week or so. And this is a very important step in working on presidential initiatives, including climate change and food security, among others. And these are important initiatives for both of us.

We also appreciate the difficulties you face with the issue of the Rohingya refugees. The Rohingya is really a problem that comes from Burma, from Myanmar. And the problem is that maybe 30,000 or more are --

FOREIGN MINISTER MONI: Registered refugees.

SECRETARY KERRY: -- registered refugees in Bangladesh. And it creates tensions, and it’s a difficult issue.

So we have a lot to talk about. We want to see Bangladesh continue to move forward, as it is working to on a number of different issues of labor and labor standards. But I am very, very happy to welcome the Foreign Minister here. We’ve worked together on a number of critical initiatives, and we look forward to a good meeting.

Thank you.

FOREIGN MINISTER MONI: I’m very happy to be here. And as Secretary Kerry mentioned, we have a lot of things to discuss. And I believe that the U.S.-Bangladesh relationship is at its best now. And we’re looking forward to more cooperation in all areas of our common concern, both bilaterally and also at the multinational level.

And there’s a lot of admirers of Secretary Kerry in Bangladesh, so I also hope that Secretary Kerry would come to Bangladesh for a visit soon.

Thank you.

SECRETARY KERRY: I would like to. Thank you. Thank you very much.

FOREIGN MINISTER MONI: Thank you.

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U.S.-India Higher Education Roundtable

Under Secretary Sonenshine: Thank you Gary and my personal welcome to Minister Raju and Ambassador Rao and Assistant Secretary Blake, and really to the members of the academic community and the private sector. Your presence here is a very encouraging signal about the commitment that is beyond just government, but a whole of community commitment to the higher education ties between our countries. And particularly thank you to the area of community colleges helping to equip young people with the skills they need to prevail in this increasingly globalized and knowledge-based economies.

I think we all have heard and underscored the stakes that are involved here. When we prepare more young people for success, we are opening doors to everyone’s futures and contributing to the economic growth of India and the United States.

Let me quickly review the progress to date so we know where we are.

In 2010 a model for a cooperative future was established with a promising exchange program between Montgomery College and several Indian institutions. Since then I would say we have moved from strength to strength.

In 2011 the U.S.-India Higher Education Summit brought together over 300 leaders in higher education, government, the private sector, from both countries and expanded cooperation. Then the 2012 Higher Education Dialogue where we talked about this initiative to create 200 community colleges in the coming years. I was proud to lead the delegation of American higher education representatives to the conference in February in Delhi.

The word that Minister Raju and Ambassador Rao both used is momentum. We now have to keep up the momentum. We have to expand the opportunities and leave no stone unturned as we find ways for educators and institutions to deliver high quality, cost-effective instruction so that students can access knowledge.

I’m hoping that today’s discussion will touch upon not only the community college model but the concept of open educational resources, the MOOCs - massive on-line open courses. This morning I met with one of those providers at Edx and I know the Minister will also be seeing some of the providers of on-line long distance learning courses.

So the potential topics I hope for the upcoming meeting will be the higher education topics that we’re talking about today. I know that Secretary Kerry and I look forward to continuing this conversation at the summit. The Fulbright Nehru program is a cornerstone of cooperation and we are going to nurture it as we would nurture any plant that is important to both of us.

More and more Indians are getting accurate comprehensive information about the 4,500 accredited colleges and universities in the United States. So we appreciate this partnership. We’re supporting, as has been said, more Americans to go and study in India. That can happen through the Gillman Program, the Critical Language Scholarships, Connect to India, Passport to India. There is capacity and energy to put towards this. Fewer than 4,000 American students, that is still far from our goal of 15,000 in five years.

So we have to look at what are the obstacles to getting American students to go so that we can boost interest and participation. I’m delighted that Molly Teas is here for Passport to India, so that we can work with the private sector to sponsor these American students and interns in Indian-based facilities.

During the dialogue I hope we will see the announcement, as has been mentioned, of the next round of awardees under the Obama-Singh Initiative so that we can solidify these partnerships between institutions.

I would just close by saying what is wonderful about these discussions is they are always a dialogue, never a monologue. We work in both directions. We are trying to learn from one another, to share experiences and best practices.

I’m glad Minister Raju that you will get to see as early as today I believe these community colleges and our higher education community so that we can work with you on vocational skills and practical training.

I look forward to a productive discussion and candid advice as to the opportunities and challenges we face together, as well as what new areas we should focus on in the future and what advice you have for all of us as we plan the agenda coming up. 

Thank you so much.

Assistant Secretary Blake: Thank you, Gary. Thank you and IIE for organizing this today. And of course a very warm welcome to the Minister and his delegation.

Ambassador Rao and I often joke that when we give speeches together we can often exchange our speeches because of the convergence of our views. So since I’m the last speaker in fact everything has already been said that I was going to say, so I’m just going to make couple of quick points.

I’d like to first of all build on a comment the Minister made in his remarks, which is we need to allow learning across our two cultures. I think that’s really really important. That’s why we’re all here today. Why is that?

First of all, we need to allow it because we have this growing partnership between the United States and India. Our President has called it the defining partnership of the 21^st Century. And as many of you know, there’s really no area of human endeavor anymore in which Indians and Americans are not cooperating somewhat.

Secondly, I think we have a growing number of joint programs, particularly in the field of new technologies. How do we leverage our two knowledge-based economies to create new technologies for the benefit of mankind? So you see that in our energy dialogue with some of the clean technology that we’re developing now. You see that in the Millennium Alliance that has been created between the U.S. Agency for International Development and the government of India and FICCI, the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, to develop the next generation of low cost development solutions to the greatest development needs of the world. Not only in India, but around the world. You see that in our science and technology partnership where there’s tremendous ongoing and very creative research. So these are all really exciting things.

Again, I think there’s no more important task for us right now in both of our countries than to create jobs. We have two knowledge-based economies, and the synergy of putting those together and creating new technology and new opportunities for our citizens is tremendous and enormous. I think that drives a lot of what we’re trying to do today.

So we really have a profound interest in not only providing greater educational opportunities for all of our young people in both of our countries so that they gain the training that they need to do the things that I just talked about, but we also need to have our young people learn about each of our countries and have opportunities so that they can get excited about those opportunities.

I joined the Foreign Service many years ago because of the time I spent overseas and I want to have young Americans get exactly that same kind of excitement and experience by going to India and developing the same affection for India that I have had in ten years of working there. That way we will have the next generation of business people, scientists, employers, diplomats and others who have experience working across both borders and can really, again, lead this synergy that we need to see.

So let me just conclude by saying what we really need to do is hear from all of you today. First of all, what are ideas, how can we leverage technology to improve these educational opportunities? What can we as governments do better to make things easier for all of you to do more? And how can we do better? Maybe there are things on the regulatory side or any other suggestions you have. We really welcome that. That’s what we see as our role in government is to open the opportunities for all people. Thank you.

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Remarks at Fourth Yale-TERI Energy Summit

Thanks so much for the opportunity to speak to this distinguished audience. Yale and TERI’s partnership – and leadership – to advance clean and innovative energy solutions has made this a vital forum for sharing new ideas and casting an ambitious vision for the future. TERI’s focus on clean energy solutions dates back to the mid-1970s, which turned out to be very prescient. Today, clean energy is at the center of our thinking on powering the economies of the future.

I’d like to extend special thanks to all of the CEOs and other business leaders here today. Your passion and ingenuity are central to the United States’ and India’s quest to help grow mutually beneficial clean energy ecosystems.

Ladies and gentleman, it’s a remarkable time to be engaged in a discussion about clean energy. We’ve recently seen enormous changes in the global energy landscape. And the nexus between energy and the environment is more relevant than ever.

The United States has four key priorities related to the future of energy use. Not coincidentally, each dovetail with our clean energy goals.

• First, we will maintain our commitment to renewable energy – wind, solar, geothermal, and hydro – and put a premium on new innovation and technological advances;
• Second, we will harness the “natural gas revolution” in the United States to meet our own energy needs as an intermediate or “bridge fuel” opportunity;
• Third, we will continue to pursue the highest environmental standards, in the spirit of the Clean Air Act and other efforts to limit harmful emissions; and
• Fourth, we will use existing energy more efficiently – in essence, to get more bang for our buck. That isn’t just good public policy, it makes good business sense.

There’s no doubt that our private sectors have a critical role to play in achieving these ambitious goals. But our governments have a responsibility to help foster the right environment for innovation; we must ensure that nothing stands in the way of quickly taking the best ideas conceived from Hyderabad to Houston, from Madhya Pradesh to Massachusetts, to the broadest possible market.

Simply put, governments must create policies that allow our companies to work together seamlessly. That means avoiding policies that hinder innovation, such as subsidies to local producers, measures that favor indigenous over foreign companies, or technology transfer requirements as a pre-condition for market access. We’re discussing these issues with our Indian friends through bilateral engagements like these like the Clean Energy Ministerial and the U.S.-India Energy Dialogue.

We are also expanding our bilateral cooperation on clean energy through the U.S.-India Partnership to Advance Clean Energy, or PACE, which has mobilized over $1.7 billion dollars to finance clean energy initiatives. In addition, a $125 million public-private joint research center is being created that will be led by 95 government, research, and private organizations.

President Obama is taking a leadership role in these efforts. He recently called on Congress to establish an “Energy Security Trust,” which would fund groundbreaking research focused on cost-effective technologies – like electric vehicles, homegrown biofuels, fuel cells, and domestically-produced natural gas.

We are also talking to the Government of India at all levels about energy issues – from the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy to the Ministry of External Affairs and the Prime Minister’s Office. When we hold the U.S.-India Strategic Dialogue this summer, clean energy cooperation will be a key part of the agenda.

We have much to be optimistic about. Clean energy technology is cheaper than it has ever been – according to one report photo-voltaic module prices are down 80% percent since 2008, and 20% just in the last year. In 2012 alone, a whopping 88 gigawatts of new clean energy capacity became available around the world, more than half of that from the wind sector.

Energy and climate change issues are important not just for our partnership with India, but for our broader strategy for the region. We believe that collaboration in this area can drive broader cooperation and economic connectivity, to help make the region more secure and prosperous. That’s why we’ve been such a strong supporter of regional energy and economic integration efforts to significantly increase economic connectivity across Asia.

USAID’s South Asia Regional Initiative for Energy Integration program, for example, facilitates cross-border energy trade, expand access to clean energy, and build power-sector capacity to integrate energy supplies across the entire region.

And we’ve been strong advocates for the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India gas pipeline, or TAPI, which stands to bring enormous energy relief to a region still saddled with aging coal generation facilities and inefficient power generation methods. Today, more than half of India’s power comes from coal. TAPI would help shift the region away from carbon-based energy sources and could allow for unprecedented cooperation and commercial synergy.

These efforts are creating new opportunities to expand clean energy generation, which many never thought possible. The key to their success, of course, is you – the entrepreneurs and innovators. I can’t wait to see what you will come up with next, and we stand ready to work together toward a cleaner and more prosperous future. Thank you.

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Afghanistan Media Roundtable

DEPUTY SECRETARY BURNS: Thank you very much and good morning. I’m very glad to be back in Kabul.

I was especially pleased yesterday to co-chair the second session of the U.S.-Afghanistan Bilateral Commission, which is an important mechanism for translating the Strategic Partnership Agreement signed by our two countries last year into practical actions.

I was also grateful for the opportunity to meet yesterday with President Karzai, with whom I had a very constructive discussion. I emphasized to President Karzai, and I want to reemphasize here that the United States remains strongly committed to an enduring partnership with Afghanistan. We continue to demonstrate that commitment in many ways, from the crucial security and economic pledges made in Chicago and Tokyo to the steady progress we are making in negotiations on a Bilateral Security and Defense Cooperation Agreement.

I appreciate very much the exceptional efforts of Foreign Minister Rassoul and Deputy Foreign Minister Ludin, and all their colleagues on the Afghan side of the Bilateral Commission.

We heard reports from the co-chairs of the four working groups which have been formed and which will continue to meet and make practical progress throughout the coming year. We can be proud of the accomplishments we’ve made together since the first meeting of the Bilateral Commission last year, including: the transfer on March 25^th of the Detention Facility to Afghan sovereign control; the Independent Election Commission’s announcement of a comprehensive elections timeline; the January 11^th Joint Statement by Presidents Obama and Karzai in support of the possible opening of an office in Doha for the purpose of direct contacts between the High Peace Council and authorized representatives of the Taliban; and implementation of the U.S. commitment to increasingly place funding for major electrical infrastructure projects on the Afghan government budget, in keeping with the larger commitment to channel 50 percent of development assistance through the Afghan government.

All of these steps reflect our enduring support for a truly collaborative partnership with a sovereign Afghanistan. There is much more that we can do in the months ahead, including further work on advancing preparations for the 2014 elections; intensifying our mutual efforts on Afghan reconstruction; following through on transparency and accountability initiatives; further strengthening our security relationship; and promoting regional economic integration.

We are at an important and positive moment in our bilateral partnership. Afghans can be proud of all that they have overcome over the past decade and how far they have come, thanks to the resilient spirit of the Afghan people and the strong support of their international partners and friends. The United States is proud to be one of those friends, and we are determined to continue to do all we can to help in the months and years ahead.

So thank you very much. Now I’d be glad to take your questions.

QUESTION: [Through Interpreter]. From Tolo TV. We welcome you to Afghanistan and he has two questions.

The first question is about 2014 elections. Is the United States going to support a specific candidate or political party in the upcoming elections? The second part of the question is if widespread fraud takes place in the elections, what’s the United States’ position going to be if the Afghan government does not take practical actions to deal with the fraud?

The second question is about Durand Line. The Afghan Security Forces and the Pakistanis exchange fire on the Durand Line and President Karzai recently announced that he does not officially recognize the Durand Line. What is the United States position in this regard? Does the United States officially recognize the border line between the two countries or not?

DEPUTY SECRETARY BURNS: On the first question, with regard to the very important Afghan presidential elections in 2014, the United States position is very clear. We do not support individual candidates. We support the kind of free, fair, credible, inclusive and democratic elections process that the Afghan people themselves seek and deserve.

We support an electoral process that can become an important unifying moment for the country. We understand fully the importance of a credible elections process to ensuring the success of the inter-connected transitions that Afghanistan and your international friends face together over the course of the coming year. The success of the political transition, of which the elections are an important part, is crucial to the success of the security and economic transitions.

We will continue to emphasize, along with Afghanistan’s other international partners, the importance of transparency and accountability in elections because we fully recognize the risk that fraud and corruption can pose to the credibility of that elections process.

On the second part of your question on Afghanistan and Pakistan, I would say the following: The American position with regard to those long-term international legal questions is well known and it hasn’t changed. What I would emphasize today is the importance of focusing on the shared interest, the interest that Pakistan and Afghanistan share, in regional stability and security.

At a moment of important transitions in Afghanistan and at a moment in which the Pakistanis have just finished their own national elections, it seems very important to try to avoid any escalation of frictions.

Just to reemphasize, the United States has an enduring commitment to Afghanistan’s security, its stability, its sovereignty, and it’s very much as a reflection of that that we will continue to do everything we can to urge both Pakistan and Afghanistan to avoid actions which might escalate tensions and try to find ways to build that more stable regional atmosphere which is so much in the interests of both countries, as well as your friends like the United States.

QUESTION: [Through Interpreter]. You talked a little bit about Pakistan´s recent elections, and the former Prime Minister of Pakistan Mr. Nawaz Sharif. He was a very active member of the National Muslim League Party. He is announced to be a winner in the Pakistani elections. And he previously announced that if he won the elections he will remove his country from the coalition that is fighting against terror and terrorism in the region and in the world. What do you think? They have been able to achieve a lot during the past 12 years. Do you think that if he does this he or his country will be able to preserve the achievements they have had in fighting against terror?

DEPUTY SECRETARY BURNS: Thank you for the question. Let me say the following: First, I don’t want to prejudge the question of what the new civilian government in Pakistan is going to look like. Pakistan and the people of Pakistan have just achieved an important democratic milestone, the first time in history that an elected civilian government has finished its full term and then made a peaceful transfer of authority through elections to a new civilian government with what is reportedly very high rates of participation by Pakistani citizens in the election. That’s first.

Second, I would say it is deeply in Pakistan’s self-interest to fight against violent extremism and terrorism. The same groups that can threaten Pakistan’s neighbors can also threaten the future of Pakistan and its security, its stability and its democracy.

So we look forward to working with the new Pakistani government to try to deepen cooperation against violent extremism and terrorism, to deepen cooperation in trying to promote stability, security and prosperity in Afghanistan. That remains a very important priority for the United States. It’s reflected in our enduring commitment to Afghanistan and to the Afghan people and it was exactly the purpose of Secretary Kerry’s recent efforts in Brussels with representatives of both Afghanistan and Pakistan.

QUESTION: [Through Interpreter]. My question is about the security challenge in Afghanistan. Besides all the efforts and all the hard work security is deteriorating in Afghanistan every day. The government established a High Peace Council two years ago. They have been working very hard to encourage the Taliban to reconcile with the government but they have not been able to succeed so far. And one of the Taliban’s demands is they would like to have direct negotiation with the U.S. government. We all see that the United States’ role is very weak and getting weaker, even though an office has been established in Qatar, but no discussion or negotiation has taken place before.

DEPUTY SECRETARY BURNS: First I would emphasize that the United States’ role and United States’ support for Afghanistan and its future remains strong, not weak. We understand what’s at stake for Afghans and our commitment is going to be an enduring one.

With regard to the question of the peace process and reconciliation, our position is a very straight-forward one. We support an Afghan-led process.

The purpose of the opening of the office in Doha, as our two Presidents made clear in January, is to facilitate contacts between the High Peace Council and authorized representatives of the Taliban. We’ll continue to do everything we can to support that process in the interest of Afghanistan.

QUESTION: [Through Interpreter]. I will repeat the question again as my colleague asked a question about Durand Line. Can you specify your position on Durand Line? Because previously your Special Representative of Afghanistan and Pakistan, Ambassador Grossman, and your former Ambassador stated that yes, the U.S. government officially recognizes Durand Line.

The second question is: corruption is a big problem in Afghanistan and the people suffer a lot. And of course corruption exists at any level in the government. The United States and the international community are taking about accountability. But while the CIA provides a lot of money to presidential palace, the people are just asking questions that since the United States is talking about accountability, what does it mean to pump dollars to presidential palace?

The second question is about United States --

DEPUTY SECRETARY BURNS: Actually the fourth question. [Laughter].

QUESTION: The United States, the President recently announced that the United States wants nine military bases in Afghanistan and the United States denied this, that the United States is not seeking military bases in Afghanistan. The two governments, they are working to finalize the military agreement as soon as possible. What are the demands of the Afghan government and what does the United States want? What are the shared interests? Can you specifically talk about the things the two governments want from each other?

DEPUTY SECRETARY BURNS: They’re all good questions. Let me try to respond to each of them briefly.

First, our position on the first question you raised hasn’t changed since it was expressed by Ambassador Grossman when he was here.

Second, on the question of accountability and corruption, corruption as Afghans understand better than any foreigner ever will is a significant challenge here. It’s an anchor on hopes for economic development. It’s an anchor sometimes on hopes for faster progress on good governance. It’s deeply in the self-interest of Afghans to take on that challenge.

The Afghan authorities have made clear publicly their intent to deal with this issue. They repeated that in Tokyo at the important conference that took place there, and Afghanistan’s international partners will do everything we can to support that. Because, as I said, it’s hard to see how over the long term you make progress in the various transitions we’ve been talking about without progress in dealing with the problem of corruption.

Finally, on the question of the Bilateral Security Agreement and our enduring security commitment to Afghanistan and to its future, I would say the following:

First, I can’t comment in detail on an ongoing negotiation over the Bilateral Security and Defense Cooperation Agreement. President Obama has made very clear on a number of occasions that the United States does not seek permanent military bases in Afghanistan. The Bilateral Security Agreement in our view would send an important long-term signal of America’s commitment to a sovereign Afghanistan and its security over the long term. That’s very much the spirit in which we’re approaching these negotiations.

Our interest is focused over the long term on two particular aims which we share with Afghanistan. The first is to train and assist Afghan National Security Forces, and the second is to work together against the remnants of al-Qaida.

Toward those ends, part of the process of negotiating the Bilateral Security Agreement is to explore arrangements for access and use potentially by American personnel beyond 2104 to Afghan facilities in order to make progress on those two very important objectives that I mentioned before. So I just want to be clear about that.

We attach considerable importance to our long-term commitment to Afghanistan. We think the Bilateral Security Agreement could contribute to that and that’s very much how we’re approaching it right now.

Thank you very much.

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Pakistan Elections

These national and provincial assembly elections mark an historic step in Pakistan's democratic journey. The Pakistani people stood up resiliently to threats by violent extremists. We'll be working with the new government to advance shared interests including a peaceful, more prosperous and stable future for Pakistan and the region.

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Deputy Secretary of State William J. Burns' Travel to Afghanistan

Deputy Secretary of State Burns arrived in Kabul, Afghanistan May 11, 2013. The Deputy Secretary will lead U.S. participation at the second meeting of the U.S.-Afghanistan Bilateral Commission, created to advance cooperation and monitor progress made in advancing the U.S.-Afghanistan Enduring Strategic Partnership Agreement. Deputy Secretary Burns also will meet with senior Afghan, U.S., and ISAF officials in Kabul to discuss a wide range of regional and bilateral issues.

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Joint Statement by Foreign Minister Dr. Rassoul and Deputy Secretary Burns on the Second Meeting of the Afghanistan-U.S. Bilateral Commission

[Dari]  [Pashto]

At the invitation of Foreign Minister Dr. Zalmai Rassoul, Deputy Secretary William Burns and his delegation visited Kabul May 11, 2013, to convene the second meeting of the Afghanistan-U.S. Bilateral Commission, established by the Afghanistan-U.S. Enduring Strategic Partnership Agreement (SPA). In the meeting, both sides reviewed progress in implementing the SPA’s shared vision of a secure, democratic and prosperous Afghanistan and discussed steps to strengthen our enduring partnership as sovereign nations. The United States and Afghanistan reaffirmed the role of the Strategic Partnership in consolidating the historic gains in Afghanistan made over the past decade and cementing the relationship through the security transition up to the end of 2014 and into the Transformation Decade of 2015-2024 that will follow. Foreign Minister Dr. Rassoul and Deputy Secretary Burns paid tribute to the shared enormous sacrifices of the Afghan nation, the United States, and the rest of the international community in the cause of a peaceful, secure, democratic, and prosperous Afghanistan.

Recognizing Progress in the Strategic Partnership

During today’s session, Afghanistan and the United States reviewed the progress achieved since President Obama and President Karzai signed the SPA on May 2, 2012 in Kabul and since the October 3, 2012 Inaugural Bilateral Commission meeting hosted by Secretary Clinton in Washington, including consultations held by chairs of the commission working groups on the work plan. Foreign Minister Dr. Rassoul and Deputy Secretary Burns welcomed the following specific accomplishments:

• The transfer on March 25 of the Detention Facility in Parwan to Afghan sovereign control;
• The Independent Election Commission’s announcement of a comprehensive elections timeline, including April 5, 2014 as the date for presidential and provincial council elections;
• The January 11 Joint Statement by President Obama and President Karzai in support of the possible opening of an office in Doha for the purpose of direct contacts and negotiations between the High Peace Council and authorized representatives of the Taliban;
• The efforts made during the April 29, 2013 Istanbul Process Conference in Almaty to promote confidence and result-oriented cooperation in the Heart of Asia region, greatly contributing to peace, security and prosperity in Afghanistan and the broader region;
• Progress made by Afghanistan and the International Community toward meeting the goals of the Tokyo Mutual Accountability Framework, which will be reviewed at the July 3, 2013 Senior Officials Meeting in Kabul;
• The United States’ commitment in January to increasingly place funding for major electrical infrastructure projects on the Afghan Government budget in line with the commitment to channel 50 percent of development assistance through the Afghan Government.
• The advancement of the Security Transition process, as evidenced by nearly 90 percent of Afghan men and women living in areas where the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) have the lead in security;
• The outline of the U.S. contribution to the NATO-led Train, Advise, and Assist mission as part of our enduring commitment to strengthen the ANSF as it takes on growing responsibility;
• Official negotiations over a Bilateral Security and Defense Cooperation Agreement as agreed in the Strategic Partnership Agreement, to provide a framework for our future security and defense cooperation, including to facilitate training, sustaining, and equipping the ANSF, to continue counterterrorism efforts to defeat al-Qaeda and its affiliates, and to clarify the scope, nature, and related obligations of both countries with regards to a possible United States military presence in Afghanistan post-2014.

Charting the Way Forward

In order to strengthen our partnership based on our shared interests as memorialized in the SPA, Foreign Minister Dr. Rassoul and Deputy Secretary Burns emphasized the continued convergence of interests and vision as we move through security transition in 2014 and into the Transformation Decade and decided on concrete steps to take in the coming months.

In preparation for Afghanistan’s historic democratic transition in 2014, Foreign Minister Dr. Rassoul reviewed preparations for credible, inclusive, and transparent elections. Both sides recognized that independent Afghan institutions are essential to electoral credibility as are stakeholders such as civil society and women’s groups in the democratic process. Foreign Minister Dr. Rassoul reiterated the Afghan Government’s strong determination to undertake all that is necessary for the holding of credible elections in 2014. Afghanistan also committed to accelerate elections security planning – with support from the international community – to improve access to polls for all eligible voters, including efforts to facilitate voting by women. Foreign Minister Dr. Rassoul and Deputy Secretary Burns underlined the importance of these elections being free from any external interference.

Foreign Minister Dr. Rassoul and Deputy Secretary Burns reaffirmed their commitment to strengthen democratic governance, including respect for human rights, the rule of law, and the rights of women under the Afghan Constitution. The United States and Afghanistan underscored the ongoing commitment to supporting the rights of Afghan women and girls and encouraged the further development of Afghanistan’s National Action Plan on Women, Peace, and Security, as well as strengthened implementation of laws protecting women and girls. Foreign Minister Dr. Rassoul and Deputy Secretary Burns reiterated the continued need for an inclusive political process of negotiations with the armed opposition, including the Taliban, that maintains the rights enshrined in the Afghan Constitution.

To help Afghanistan sustain the economic gains of the last 12 years, Foreign Minister Dr. Rassoul and Deputy Secretary Burns pledged to make progress toward specific Tokyo Mutual Accountability Framework milestones by the July 3, 2013 Senior Officials Meeting in Kabul. Both countries remain committed to accelerating Afghanistan’s economic integration within its region as a means to bolster job creation, economic growth, and regional stability. The Afghan Government, with the United States as a supporting country, is working to implement Istanbul Process Confidence-Building Measure Implementation Plans on “Trade, Commerce, and Investment” and “Regional Infrastructure.”

Foreign Minister Dr. Rassoul and Deputy Secretary Burns emphasized the importance of the upcoming Milestone 2013 and the announcement of the fifth and final tranche of security transition, which marks ISAF’s shift from a combat to an advisory and support mission, placing the ANSF in full operational lead across Afghanistan. This realizes the commitment made at the May 2012 NATO Summit in Chicago and reaffirmed by President Obama and President Karzai during their January 2013 meeting in Washington. The United States and Afghanistan recognized the increased capabilities, effectiveness, and bravery of Afghan National Security Forces as they take on greater responsibility. The United States reaffirmed its commitment to continue training, advising, and assisting Afghan forces under the Bilateral Security and Defense Cooperation Agreement currently under negotiation. Afghanistan and the United States recognize the importance of strengthening accountability mechanisms to further build the effectiveness of, and public support for, Afghan National Security Forces. Foreign Minister Dr. Rassoul and Deputy Secretary Burns affirmed that both sides should intensify efforts to conclude the Bilateral Security and Defense Cooperation Agreement negotiations as soon as possible.

Conclusion

Foreign Minister Dr. Rassoul and Deputy Secretary Burns reaffirmed our resolve in the SPA to further advance the Afghan people’s desire for a sovereign, unified and democratic Afghanistan, governed on the basis of the Afghan Constitution, including respect for human rights, the rule of law, and democratic values. Cooperation between Afghanistan and the United States continues to be based on mutual respect and shared interests. Foreign Minister Dr. Rassoul and Deputy Secretary Burns recommitted to continue these high level bilateral consultations to further deepen our partnership on the basis of the Strategic Partnership Agreement.

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Opening Remarks at the U.S.-Afghanistan Bilateral Commission

Thank you, Foreign Minister Rassoul, for hosting us here in Kabul today and for your continued leadership of the U.S.-Afghanistan Bilateral Commission.

One year ago, President Obama flew to Kabul to sign the Strategic Partnership Agreement. He said the SPA “defines a new kind of relationship between our countries -- a future in which Afghans are responsible for the security of their nation, and we build an equal partnership between two sovereign states; a future in which war ends, and a new chapter begins.”

Since the signing of the Strategic Partnership Agreement and our inaugural Bilateral Commission meeting in Washington last October, we have made important progress implementing the security, political, and economic transitions underway in Afghanistan.

First, we remain on-track to fully transition security responsibility to Afghanistan by the end of 2014. Afghan forces are already in the lead in 90 percent of all combat operations in the country and we expect them to be in the lead 100 percent of the time later this year.

Second, a successful political transition is an essential prerequisite for sustainable security. It is vitally important that the elections next April be transparent, credible, and inclusive. This is why we continue to provide electoral assistance -- supporting the process without supporting any particular candidate. We hope that the elections renew the compact between the people of Afghanistan and their government and that they serve as a unifying moment for your country.

Afghan-led reconciliation is also central to the transition as the surest way to end violence and ensure lasting stability in Afghanistan and the region. We re-affirm our support for an office in Doha for the purpose of negotiations between the High Peace Council and the authorized representatives of the Taliban.

Third, to fully realize the aspiration of Afghans for a future of dignity and prosperity, Afghanistan’s transition away from donor dependency and toward increased self-sufficiency and private sector-led development must succeed. The framework of mutual commitments and mutual accountability agreed to in Tokyo last year should continue to guide our partnership.

As we deepen our bilateral partnership, we will expand our regional efforts as well. The third “Heart of Asia” Ministerial in Almaty, at which I led the U.S. delegation, was a key step in advancing our shared vision of a stable, secure, and prosperous Afghanistan in a stable, secure, and prosperous region.

As President Obama emphasized here one year ago, as the Afghan people stand up, you will not stand alone. America, and many others, will stand with you. We have come too far, sacrificed too much, and worked too hard to turn back now.

I look forward to today’s meeting and to continuing to work hard to assure the success of the next chapter in our relationship.

Thank you.

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Roundtable With Indian Media

DEPUTY SECRETARY BURNS: I’m delighted to be back in India. I’m very grateful for the hospitality of my friend, Ambassador Nancy Powell, and grateful for the opportunity to meet with you at the start of my visit. I look forward very much to meeting later today with the Prime Minister, with the National Security Advisor, the Foreign Secretary and a number of other senior government and party leaders. I should add that I enjoyed very much the opportunity to meet with Minister Khurshid in Almaty a little more than a week ago at the “Heart of Asia” Ministerial Meeting.

This is I think my tenth visit to India in the last five years, during which I served both as Under Secretary for Political Affairs and now as Deputy Secretary. I’m proud to have worked over two American administrations with some very capable Indian colleagues to strengthen the strategic partnership between the United States and India, which, as you know, President Obama has called “one of the defining partnerships of the 21^st Century.” The success of both of our countries in the coming decades depends significantly on the success of our relationship

With strong support across political party lines in both of our countries, we have come a long way together in a relatively short time. I remember well the completion of our historic Civil Nuclear Agreement in 2008, and I remember the similarly historical visits of Prime Minister Singh to the United States in 2009 and President Obama to India in 2010.

Despite inevitable challenges, we continue to make significant advances in key areas of our relationship, and much more is possible in the years ahead. In economic cooperation, our bilateral trade will likely exceed $100 billion in 2013. We each have done a considerable amount to remove impediments to increased growth in trade and investment, including in high technology and defense trade. Restarting and concluding negotiations on a Bilateral Investment Treaty, it seems to me, should be a top priority over the coming year. And our CEO Forum meets again this summer to explore other steps that we could take.

In defense cooperation, we continue an active program of military exercises and exchanges, and U.S. defense sales to India already total some $8 billion. There’s more we can do together in co-development and co-production.

In climate and energy cooperation, we’ve built a strong collaborative relationship, and much more is possible on clean energy and renewables as well as in natural gas.

In educational cooperation and people-to-people exchanges, we’re making valuable strides and we’ll have another round of our Higher Education Dialogue shortly.

In counter-terrorism cooperation, we’ve made important progress since the terrible attack in Mumbai in 2008. There will be another round of our Homeland Security Dialogue later this month in Washington.

And on regional and global cooperation, we’re continuing to broaden and deepen our work together. I reaffirmed to Minister Khurshid when we met in Almaty late last month that we see India as an essential partner in Afghanistan. We greatly appreciate the leading role India continues to play in fostering regional economic cooperation and private sector investment in Afghanistan. We also welcome the progress made with Pakistan in building trade and investment ties, and hope this will continue as a new administration comes to office after elections in Pakistan tomorrow.

And as both President Obama and Secretary Kerry have emphasized, the United States welcomes India’s role across the Asia Pacific region, especially in light of our shared interest in promoting maritime security and greater connectivity between India and Southeast Asia. We support India and China working together to settle boundary issues peacefully, and to build a strong and healthy relationship.

I know Secretary Kerry looks forward very much to discussing all of these areas of cooperation when he comes to India this summer for the Strategic Dialogue, and I know that he attaches very high priority to U.S.-Indian partnership.

Now I’d be glad to take your questions.

QUESTION: You said you’d be meeting a lot of party leaders. Will you be meeting some other political party leaders?

DEPUTY SECRETARY BURNS: Without going into the details of my agenda, as I said, it’s a full schedule today of senior government and party leaders. As I’ve always tried to do on my visits to India, it’s a good opportunity to meet party leaders, especially given the support for our partnership that cuts across party lines in both of our countries.

QUESTION: One of the big ideas which turned the U.S.-India relationship was the civ nuke deal. And often, you must have heard this several times.

DEPUTY SECRETARY BURNS: I have.

QUESTION: But at the same time, the progress on it has been, has had its own obstacles, particularly in India with the (nuclear) liability legislation. At the same time now we hear that the Westinghouse talks have actually moved forward.

So where are we exactly in terms of having the first U.S. reactor installed in India? And have we actually crossed the hurdle of the liability issues, which the Americans had?

DEPUTY SECRETARY BURNS: First, I’d stress again that the United States remains fully committed to the implementation of the Civil Nuclear Agreement, of the 123 Agreement, that came into force in 2008. The process of moving ahead has been a complicated one, not surprisingly, but it was significant as you mentioned that Westinghouse entered into a Memorandum of Understanding last June to negotiate an early works agreement, and my impression is that there’s been steady progress on that. We obviously continue to support very much the contributions that American firms can make in working with India to develop an important part of the energy sector here, civilian nuclear energy, and we hope for continued progress in that direction.

We’ve had concerns, we continue to have concerns about liability legislation, but, as I said, we’re continuing to work those through with our Indian counterparts.

QUESTION: Do we see any kind of technical commercial agreement happening soon?

DEPUTY SECRETARY BURNS: I hope very much that in the case of Westinghouse that they’ll be able to continue to make progress and to follow through on the promise of the MOU that was agreed last June, and certainly we’ll continue to strongly support that effort because we believe it’s very much in the interests of both of our countries, and certainly in India’s long-term interest, developing that important part of the energy sector here and taking advantage of what American firms have to contribute to it.

QUESTION: As far as the India-U.S. Strategic Dialogue is concerned, which are the main areas you are looking at, the U.S. is looking at to explore as far as the India-U.S. relationship is concerned?

DEPUTY SECRETARY BURNS: I mentioned some of them in my opening remarks, but I think there remains significant potential in our economic relationship. There are more steps that we can take as governments to ease barriers and obstacles in the path of greater trade and investment in a whole variety of sectors. I look forward to discussing with the Prime Minister and others later today some of the steps that India has already taken to open up foreign direct investment opportunities. We think it’s very much in India’s self-interest to continue down that path as it seeks to increase growth levels and create jobs in this country.

I mentioned earlier that a Bilateral Investment Treaty would be a significant contribution to those goals. In defense cooperation, there’s a good deal more that we can do in co-production and co-development. People-to-people exchanges, given the ties between our two societies, are extremely important. That’s particularly true in education. We talked a little bit about the energy sector already: clean and renewable energy are important areas of cooperation and there’s potential in gas. There are some decisions that need to be made in the United States about LNG exports, but I think there’s considerable potential in that area as well.

As I said also in my opening comments, we have developed a pattern of consultation on a range of regional issues, not only in India’s imQUESTION:te neighborhood but across the Asia Pacific, in the Middle East and elsewhere, which reflect the fact that we’re developing a stronger and more mature partnership.

QUESTION: You mentioned about the Bilateral Investment promotion, Investment Treaty. We have been talking about, both of the countries are talking about this treaty for long. Where it is? What is the present status of this treaty and how soon we can expect this treaty to --

DEPUTY SECRETARY BURNS: We’ve had discussions on this before. Each of us has been looking at what the framework should be for bilateral investment treaties. I think there’s an opportunity now, looking ahead not just to the Strategic Dialogue, but to the relationship over the next few years, to renew those negotiations and seek to complete them as soon as possible.

So, it seems to me that that’s an area in which our two governments could give a real boost to the prospects for growth in trade and investment between us.

QUESTION: There’s a lot of internal thinking happening on the Bilateral Investment Promotion and Protection Agreements (BIPPAs). I think. We also have a situation in Bilateral Investment Agreements with everybody.

DEPUTY SECRETARY BURNS: Right.

QUESTION: But on the defense thing, the Defense Initiative, which is being talked about, the Defense Technology Initiative. It seems that those functional agreements are not exactly on the front burner, the old one. With this initiative, how much work has to be done in the United States in terms of getting laws or exemptions in place, something like that? What’s the mechanics of it? If you can explain to us in terms of having co-development and co-production, make it possible to --

DEPUTY SECRETARY BURNS: The challenge is to find some practical projects, some practical opportunities that make sense to both of our governments and both of our militaries. I think we’ve had a very intensive set of exchanges on these issues. We’ve had senior delegations from our Defense Department in Delhi recently. We have a steady series of exchanges including the regular defense policy consultation coming up in the next few weeks.

We’ve made some concrete suggestions about areas in which we think co-production and co-development would make sense for both countries, and we just need to sort through the practicalities of that with our Indian counterparts. But there’s a strong commitment on the U.S. side to taking the defense cooperation relationship to the next level, and we understand very well that that means moving ahead in co-production and co-development.

QUESTION: If you can just --

DEPUTY SECRETARY BURNS: I don’t want to get into the specific cases, but there are several that we’ve suggested recently. We look forward in the coming weeks and months to seeing if we can identify one that makes sense for both of us and we’ll move ahead on it.

But we’ve already cut through on our side at least some of the red tape and the obstacles that have existed in the past.

QUESTION: Does the FDI limit in defense bother you over here?

DEPUTY SECRETARY BURNS: Certainly we think it’s very much in India’s own self-interest and the interest of economic growth in India to look at ways in which, building on steps already taken in recent months, further measures can be taken to raise caps to allow for greater investment in that sector as well as in other sectors.

QUESTION: You’ve been also raising pension insurance in all of these sectors as well.

DEPUTY SECRETARY BURNS: There are a number of other sectors where I think there would be real benefit to the Indian economy to taking those steps. I recognize they’re complicated issues. They’re India’s sovereign choice. But I think looked at in terms of India’s self-interest, there’s real benefit there.

QUESTION: In India we are hearing a term called policy paralysis. Being the largest trading partner of India, how much U.S. experience is policy paralysis kind of thing in the recent past, and especially in the case of the defense deals? We see more of the deals are through the FMS route. So, and the tenders and the competitive bidding process has taken a back seat in the recent past. So how do you look at these things?

And we came to know that this time you won’t be meeting the Defense Minister. Is it right?

DEPUTY SECRETARY BURNS: There have been senior delegations from our Defense Department who have been here, so I think there’s been a very active dialogue between our Defense Ministries on a range of issues.

I mentioned earlier that we have something like $8 billion in defense sales from the United States to India already in the pipeline. I think a great deal more is possible.

And, just to reemphasize, we want to try to take this to the next level so that we’re working in the spheres of co-production and co-development as well.

So I think the defense relationship is one where there’s considerable potential for growth across a wide range of cooperative possibilities.

QUESTION: You’ve seen the recent China incursion incident over here. How do you react to that? Because China is a global issue.

And second, Afghanistan, Pakistan. Are you going to travel to any of those places? And there have been issues the Indians have had about whether the peace in Kabul has to go through Islamabad as well as Washington. So these two issues --

DEPUTY SECRETARY BURNS: Two nice, easy questions.

First on China. As I said in my opening remarks, we hope very much that China and India will be able to work together on longstanding boundary disputes in a peaceful manner and it’s encouraging, I think, that Minister Khurshid, as I understand it, is in China today. We support the healthiest and strongest possible relationship between India and China.

We very much support and welcome India’s contributions to successful transitions in Afghanistan as we look at the end of 2014, including in governance and in the transition in Afghanistan’s economy. I think India can play a very important role as a democratic model in working to help strengthen democratic institutions and governance in Afghanistan. It obviously plays an important role in encouraging private investment in Afghanistan and in encouraging Afghanistan’s neighbors to see their stake in not only a stable Afghanistan but also a more prosperous Afghanistan.

QUESTION: Thank you very much.

DEPUTY SECRETARY BURNS: It’s nice to see you again.

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The United States and India: A Partnership for the Next Generation

Good morning. Thank you Dr. Sears, for that kind introduction. I appreciate the opportunity to speak here today. And let me congratulate you on this first India symposium and on securing such a distinguished a speaker as Ambassador Rao! I’m delighted that Boston University is inaugurating this symposium and expanding its ties with India.

Since 2006, BU’s Center for Global Health and Development has engaged in innovative research and evaluation activities to improve public health in India, including maternal, neonatal, and pediatric healthcare. Your growing curriculum on South Asia and India prepares BU grads to seize the tremendous opportunities in this emerging economic powerhouse and partner of the United States. Today’s symposium adds a new public education dimension to make your education and research truly global.

President Obama has called our partnership with India a “defining partnership for the 21^st century.” And as we go about the much-talked about “Asia rebalance,” there’s no more important partner for the United States in the region than India. The growing convergence of our interests and outlook has brought about unprecedented cooperation on regional and global security, economics and trade, education, science and technology, clean energy, health, and counterterrorism. Our governments have worked hard, especially in the last decade, to broaden and deepen this cooperation for the benefit of our citizens of our two great democracies.

In the Obama administration, that relationship has been expanded through the U.S.-India Strategic Dialogue. We are in the full swing of preparations for the fourth round of the Strategic Dialogue, which will be held in New Delhi next month. Secretary Kerry will lead our delegation – his first such dialogue with a major partner. And higher education will be a major focus: we will hold our Higher Education Dialogue together with the Strategic Dialogue, a clear demonstration of the growing importance of education and people-to-people ties to our bilateral relationship.

Minister Pallam Raju, India’s Minister for Human Resources Development and co-chair of the Higher Education Dialogue, will visit Washington next week to lay the groundwork to further our cooperation on expanding educational exchanges and partnerships. We will work together to help India achieve its ambitious goal to establish 200 community colleges; build the next cadre of America’s India experts; and increase access to higher education through innovative use of technology.

The commitment by both governments to emphasize higher education collaboration underscores our shared belief that education is the lynchpin of the entrepreneurship and innovation that will drive our knowledge economies and growth and help us meet new challenges. That’s why increasing interactions and ties between our higher education communities, through academic and professional exchanges and a more visible and active role for the private sector, is a key part of catalyzing so many other aspects of our partnership with India.

To give you one example: over the past four years, the Fulbright-Nehru program (which India calls the Nehru-Fulbright program) has nearly tripled, with approximately 330 students and scholars from the United States and India participating annually. We now exchange more faculty under the Fulbright program with India than with any other country in the world. But our role as governments is to facilitate and to catalyze; ultimately it is the citizens of our nations who propel this relationship forward. Outside the halls of government, students and scholars, innovators and entrepreneurs, artists and athletes have been building the U.S.-India partnership for the next generation in tangible, innovative, and lasting ways.

As we recognize the need for more intensive collaboration to find common solutions to global challenges, more and more educational and research partnerships are being formed in science and technology. The Obama-Singh 21st Century Knowledge Initiative announced by President Obama and Prime Minster Singh in 2009 supports this critical collaboration through the pledge of $10 million to foster partnerships between U.S. and Indian higher education institutions, with equal contributions from both governments. The first awards connected eight institutions in each country in fields such as food security, climate change, sustainable energy, and public health. And we expect to announce the second round of Obama-Singh awards at the Higher Education Dialogue next month.

Of course, the United States has long been a favored destination for Indian students. We are pleased to note that every year, for several years now, over 100,000 new Indian students have been coming to the United States to study. In fact, India is the second largest country of origin of foreign students in the United States.

But when it comes to Americans studying in India, we need to do better. India ranks only eleventh among the destinations for American students studying abroad. While the number of American students in India has increased fourfold in the last ten years, the 4,300 or so who studied there in 2011-12 are less than a third of the number who studied in China in the same year. I want many more Americans to experience the richness of India’s culture, the vibrancy of its young people, and the dynamism of its economy, as I have had the privilege to do as a diplomat, because that’s the kind of understanding of a country that you can only gain by living there and interacting with its people every day.

We recognize that there are indeed challenges and hindrances which have prevented more American students from choosing India as a destination. We are working with the Indian government to streamline education visa processes, which have been repeatedly identified as a key reason why so few American students go to India. And through a grant from our Embassy in New Delhi, the U.S.-India Educational Foundation is working with Indian institutions of higher education to encourage more U.S. students to study there, including by developing better housing and support offices for foreign students.

Through initiatives like our “Passport to India,” we are also working with businesses and foundations to increase opportunities for more Americans to experience India during their college or university years through study abroad, internships, and service learning opportunities. This complements other State Department-sponsored programs for study abroad, including Fulbright, Gilman, and Critical Language Scholarships. Passport to India now has 10 partnerships with companies as diverse as Honeywell, United Airlines, Citigroup, which have created hundreds of new opportunities for American students in India. I hope many of you earlier today had a chance to talk with my Education Advisor, Dr. Molly Teas, about this terrific program and about internship opportunities in India. I also encourage you to check out the Passport to India page on Facebook, or the State Department’s Passport to India page on our website, at www.state.gov – slash – passport2india, that’s the number 2.

Let me conclude by saying that I’m very excited that discussions like ours are taking place at so many levels, because both our countries can contribute to one another, and frankly, can learn from each other. All of you here are part of that conversation today, about how those of us in positions of responsibility, whether in government, academia, or the private sector, can help equip our next generation with the global educations and experiences that will help our innovators and entrepreneurs remain at the forefront. So I urge you to throw your hats in the ring, to seize the opportunity to get in on the ground floor, making connections with the future policymakers, lawyers, scientists, and researchers of a dynamic and influential country whose impact on the world stage will only grow in the decades to come.

Again I want to thank everyone who has worked so hard to bring us to this point and all of you at Boston University for hosting this important symposium and for recognizing the importance of building a partnership with India for the next generation. Thank you very much, and I would be happy to take a few questions.

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Energy Diplomacy in the 21st Century

Mr. Minister Aung,  let me first of all welcome you to the United States.

Let me begin by thanking the Offshore Technology Conference and the U.S. Department of Commerce for organizing this event and for offering this opportunity to discuss our perspectives on the importance of the oil and gas sector in Myanmar, as well as U.S. engagements in this area. We are all here because we share a sense of the tremendous potential in the region; we all sense the opportunity to turn the corner in a lasting and responsible manner.

President Obama’s historic trip in November highlighted the continued progress Myanmar is making on key reforms, including with regard to human rights. The United States Government is working hard to support President Thein Sein, others in his government, and all those looking to help the country as it continues down the path of democratic reform. A vital element of these reforms will be to strengthen and modernize the country's management of its natural resources, in particular within the oil and gas sector. We continue to work closely with the government to identify where we can be of assistance in helping Myanmar reach the ultimate goal of creating a transparent, well-managed energy sector that can attract the many responsible, highly regarded oil and gas companies that are represented here in this room.

Turning particularly to U.S. oil and gas companies -- we are certain that, given all of your expertise and capabilities, you have proven around the world that your participation will set a model for responsible investment and business operations as well as contribute to further reform and promote economic development and contribute to the welfare of the people. The U.S. government is dedicated to doing everything it can to work with you to encourage and support responsible investment. We want U.S. companies to invest and to do so in a socially and environmentally responsible manner that can serve as a model for others and benefit all of the people in the community. With that said, we have paired our actions to ease sanctions with putting in place reporting requirements for U.S. companies that encourage responsible investing, including with regard to promoting transparency and respect for human and labor rights, as well as supporting sound environmental practices, and land use.

Although the country has one of the world’s oldest oil sectors, with production stretching back into the mid-1800s, it also contains sizable undiscovered oil and gas resources and production potential, particularly in the deep water. The opportunities for potentially massive additional revenue from these resources are very promising, but we have to recognize instances of conflict and human rights abuses associated with the extractive industries make sound energy sector governance and transparency a priority for our bilateral engagement.

In order to help shape the deepwater licensing round now underway, last December the State Department, under the auspices of our Energy Bureau’s Energy Governance and Capacity Initiative (EGCI) hosted the Ministers of Energy and of Mines, as well as the Managing Director of the state-owned hydrocarbon company, MOGE, in New Orleans and in Washington to talk about the country's government's plans and about best practices in transparent oil and gas sector licensing and to witness an offshore lease sale for the Gulf of Mexico. The Energy Governance and Capacity Initiative has been a tool used with a number of countries around the world to provide targeted help on particular matters pertaining with how governments deal with particular legal, regulatory, or other matters in overseeing their oil and gas sectors.

The trip was very well received and we hope that some of the practices and ideas observed and discussed here in the United States will prove useful and make their way into the licensing practices underway now. This was not a one-off event, and we will continue to engage with the government under our EGCI program. Moving forward we look to engage with the Ministry of Energy and MOGE on legal reforms, sector management, and financial accountability processes.

There are of course many ongoing international efforts to enhance transparency and strengthen energy governance within the country, and we make every effort to have our efforts complement those broader international programs. The most prominent example is the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI). We support and encourage the country’s progress towards EITI implementation, and are encouraged that they plan to send a large, high level delegation to the EITI Global Conference in Sydney in May. (And let me add a note here that as a member of the EITI's Board, I particularly hope we will have a chance to talk further in Sydney with your country's delegation.)

Energy relations between our two governments will not, and should not, be limited to the oil and gas sector. Indeed, the oil and gas sector should not and cannot be isolated from the larger energy sector in the country. As protests in Rangoon made clear last year, the expectation of citizens that their government will provide electricity to a greater portion of the country is of paramount importance. The country has Asia’s lowest electrification rate at only 27 percent. Its significant gas resources can help meet growing demand, but the country currently lacks the legal, regulatory, and physical infrastructure to utilize effectively and to optimize this resource. The U.S. government, therefore, is working with the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank to develop power sector and rural electrification investment plans, in coordination with the UN’s Sustainable Energy for All initiative. It is our profound hope that the gas that your companies will find and develop will not only make your investments worthwhile, but will also help power a more inclusive and self-sustaining electrical power grid within the country

The State Department and Embassy are here to assist and partner with the country in order to act upon the new and exciting opportunities that are being generated through the ongoing political and economic reforms.

Governments, the private sector, and most importantly the people will benefit from sound, sustainable development of the country's hydrocarbon resources. In the complex and new environment before us, it is critically important that we think how best to partner to ensure stability and help achieve prosperity in the years to come. U.S. investors, producers, supply companies come with unmatched experience, technological know-how, creativity and drive; they come with a record of achievement and success in dealing with challenges in the energy sector around the world. They are interested in bringing this experience, this expertise, this spirit to help Myanmar and its people capture the benefits of the country's resources. There are great opportunities for mutual benefit, and I know the U.S. companies here will do their due diligence and invest responsibly for the prosperity of all of the people, restoring the country to its traditional role at the crossroads between East and South Asia.

Thank you.

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State Department Call With U.S. Buyers in Bangladesh Ready-Made Garment Sector

Today the State Department, the Department of Labor and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative convened a conference call with U.S. buyers in Bangladesh’s garment industry to discuss U.S. Government engagement to improve workers’ rights and working conditions in Bangladesh, and to review how the private sector can assist in these vital ongoing efforts. Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Robert O. Blake, Jr. and Special Representative for International Labor Affairs Barbara Shailor represented the State Department.

Assistant Secretary Blake and Special Representative Shailor noted that the tragedy at Rana Plaza once again underscores the urgent need for government, owners, buyers, and labor organizations to work together to improve labor safety and the lives of working people in Bangladesh. Both the United States and Bangladesh have a shared interest in ensuring that the growth of Bangladesh’s export sector does not come at the expense of safe and healthy working conditions or fundamental labor rights.

The State Department strongly urged U.S. buyers to coordinate efforts with each other and with the Government of Bangladesh and the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers & Exporters Association (BGMEA), as well as civil society and labor groups, on factory safety and fire initiatives, including helping pay for independent safety and fire inspectors. They encouraged the buyers to communicate their concerns about labor conditions to the BGMEA and the Bangladeshi Government, and to urge immediate passage of the labor law amendments to lay the basis for the establishment of an International Labor Organization and International Finance Corporation Better Work Program.

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