Remarks by President Obama at Closing Session of the Nuclear Security Summit

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

The World Forum
The Hague, The Netherlands

3:15 P.M. CET

March 25, 2014

PRESIDENT OBAMA:  Well, thank you very much, Mark.  Let me begin just by saying that -- to Prime Minister Rutte and all the people here in the Netherlands who were involved in organizing this summit, you did an extraordinary job.  And I think we would all agree that this was as well-designed and well-executed as any international summit that we’ve attended.  And so we’re very grateful, and you’ve set a high bar for the work that needs to be done in Chicago.

Two things I want to do is, number one, just remind everybody what has been accomplished.  In previous summits, as a consequence to the work that’s been done collectively, 12 countries and two dozen nuclear facilities around the world have rid themselves entirely of highly-enriched uranium and plutonium.  Dozens of nations have boosted security at their nuclear storage sites; built their own counter-smuggling teams; or created new centers to improve nuclear security and training.  The IAEA is stronger.  More countries have ratified the treaties and international partnerships at the heart of our efforts.

And at this particular summit, we’ve seen such steps as Belgium and Italy completing the removal of their excess supplies of highly-enriched uranium and plutonium so that those supplied s can be eliminated.  In a major commitment, Japan announced that it will work with the United States to eliminate hundreds of kilograms of weapons-usable nuclear material from one of their experimental reactors, which would be enough for a dozen nuclear weapons.  Dozens of other nations have agreed to take specific steps towards improving nuclear security in their own countries and to support global efforts.

So what’s been valuable about this summit is that it has not just been talk, it’s been action.  And that is because of the leadership that has been shown by heads of state and government -- and heads of government that have participated in this effort, as well as the extraordinary work of foreign ministers and sherpas and others who have helped to move this process forward.

I’m looking forward to hosting all of you in the United States, in 2016.  We had a good discussion this afternoon about how we should conceive of this summit two years from now.  The consensus, based on what I heard, was that we should recognize this next summit will be a transition summit in which heads of state and government are still participating, but that we are shifting towards a more sustainable model that utilizes our ministers, our technical people, and we are building some sort of architecture that can effectively focus and implement on these issues and supplement the good work that is being done by the IAEA and others.

So I see two tasks before us over the next two years.  Number one is we have to set very clearly what are the actionable items that we’ve already identified that we know can get done if we have the political will to do them, and let’s go ahead and get them done so that in 2016 we can report out that we have made extraordinary progress and achieved many of the benchmarks and targets that we had set at the very first Nuclear Security Summit.  In other words, I think it is important for us not to relax, but rather accelerate our efforts over the next two years, sustain momentum so that we finish strong in 2016.  And my team will be contacting all of you to find out specific ways in which you think we can move the ball forward over the next two years.

The second thing we’ll be doing is soliciting ideas from each of you about the ultimate architecture that should be constructed to ensure that beyond 2016 we are able to keep this process alive and effective, and that we are able to sync up the efforts of the Nuclear Security Summit with existing institutions like the IAEA, Interpol, the United Nations, some of the treaties that are already in force.

All of you have important views on that, and we’re going to want to make sure that you provide them so that by the time we get to 2016 we have a well thought-out process that can be ratified at that meeting.

So I cannot thank you enough for the extraordinary efforts that all of you have already made.  I cannot guarantee that the videos will be as good at the Washington conference as they’ve been here.  We may not be as creative and imaginative as Mark and his team have been.  But I promise you that we will continue to stay focused on this very important issue, and we look forward to your contributions in 2016 in the United States.

Thank you very much, Mark.  (Applause.)

END
3:21 P.M. CET

* * *  Support Warriors Pearl Foundation - contributing to fund efforts to help homeless female military veterans come home.  Visit Denny Lyon Gifts  @ CafePress.com  -  see what's new!  

Subscribe in a reader to Dennys Global Politics

* Check out Dennys News Politics Comedy Science Arts & Food - a place where all my other 20 blogs link so you can choose from among the latest posts all in one place. A free to read online newspaper from independent journalist blogger Denny Lyon. * 

*** THANKS for visiting, feel welcome to drop a comment or opinion, enjoy bookmarking this post on your favorite social site, a big shout out to awesome current subscribers – and if you are new to this blog, please subscribe in a reader or by email updates!

Remarks by President Obama and Prime Minister Rutte of the Netherlands After Bilateral Meeting

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

Gallery of Honor
The Rijksmuseum
Amsterdam, The Netherlands

10:49 A.M. CET

March 24, 2014

PRIME MINISTER RUTTE:  Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Netherlands.  Welcome to Amsterdam.  And, Barack, welcome to this very special location. 

We are standing here on historic grounds, surrounded by the finest paintings that Holland has produced and only a stone’s throw away from the house of John Adams, the first American ambassador to the Netherlands and second President of the United States.  It’s a location that symbolizes the enduring partnership between the U.S. and the Netherlands.  Our shared history and heritage go back a long way.

As an historian, it was a special moment for me when earlier this morning I was able to show President Obama two original documents from our National Archives that played an important role in the age-old friendship between our two countries.  The first was our own Declaration of Independence, the Plakkaat van Verlatinghe of 1581, which inspired Thomas Jefferson and his peers.  The second was the American-Dutch Treaty of Amity and Commerce of 1782, another remarkable document from an age when peace between countries was usually a heartfelt affair.  And today, friendship is still at the heart of the relationship between the United States and the Netherlands, along with trade, shared values, and joint responsibilities.

Since that first treaty we have worked together in the growing awareness that economic prosperity, a safe and stable world and international cooperation go hand in hand.  With this in mind, the President and I talked about a wide range of subjects, starting with a joint climate initiative and the new steps we will take today in that regard.  The Netherlands is joining with the United States and a group of other countries in a bid to stop international public funding of new coal-fired power plants, for example, by multilateral development banks.  We want to achieve an international level playing field to ensure that private and public parties invest in green growth wherever possible.

We also discussed the important topic of the Transatlantic Investment Partnership between the EU and U.S.  Once concluded, this agreement will create more economic growth and jobs on both sides of the Atlantic.  Importantly, it will set new standards that will benefit global trade and third countries as well.  This partnership will bolster our excellent bilateral economic ties even further.

During our conversation I stressed how much we value this partnership.  The Netherlands is the world’s third largest investor in the United States and we are home to some 1,800 American businesses. 

And of course, we also spoke about the major international security issues in Syria, Iran and Ukraine.  Concerning the last, we both regard Russia’s attempts to annex the Crimea as a flagrant breach of international law and we condemn its actions in the strongest possible terms.  The presence of so many world leaders in the Netherlands this week presents an important opportunity for the international community to discuss this subject, as well as other pressing issues that affect our common interests.

Finally, we looked ahead at the Nuclear Security Summit today and tomorrow.  President Obama deserves all the credit for getting this topic high on the agenda.  In 2010, Washington hosted the first summit on this seat.  In 2012, it was Seoul’s turn.  And now the Netherlands is proud to host the summit today and tomorrow in The Hague that will bring us closer to the goal of securing potentially dangerous nuclear material.

Barack, your presence underlines the importance of the summit, and this event, too, demonstrates the strength of the bilateral ties between our countries and of our joint commitment to peace, security and democracy.  I’m delighted to be able to hear from you publicly here at this splendid location.

Again, thank you for coming.

PRESIDENT OBAMA:  Mark, thank you.  And it is a splendid location.  I’m so grateful for your kind words.  We were very pleased to welcome you back in 2011 to the White House, and I appreciate your warm welcome today.  This is my first visit to Amsterdam and to The Hague and to the Netherlands, and I’m so pleased that I’ve had a chance already to meet some wonderful students.  I want to thank the Mayor and the curator for their hospitality as well.  I’m proud to be with some of the Dutch masters who I studied in school, and to see just the extraordinary traditions of this great country. 

I’d be remiss if I did not mention that I’m proud of both of our teams at the Olympics.  So in addition to painting, you really know how to speed skate.  (Laughter.)

As the Prime Minister said, we just had an excellent opportunity to experience the museum and to see those documents, including the Treaty of Friendship that John Adams negotiated more than 200 years ago, as a reminder of the historic ties between our countries.  And this is -- of all the press conferences I’ve done, this is easily the most impressive backdrop that I’ve had to a press conference. 

Of course, we’re here for our third Nuclear Security Summit. And I want to thank His Majesty, King Willem-Alexander, as well as Mark, the people of the Netherlands, for all the preparations that go into bringing together so many heads of state.  This is just one more example of Dutch leadership -- not just on nuclear security, but on many global challenges. 

As you know, the Netherlands is one of our closest allies, and our cooperation underscores a larger point -- our NATO allies are our closest partners on the world stage.  Europe is the cornerstone of America’s engagement with the world.  And today we focused on several priorities -- in Europe and beyond.

First, we obviously spent a considerable amount of time on the situation in Ukraine.  Europe and America are united in our support of the Ukrainian government and the Ukrainian people.  We’re united in imposing a cost on Russia for its actions so far. Prime Minister Rutte rightly pointed out yesterday the growing sanctions would bring significant consequences to the Russian economy.  And I’ll be meeting with my fellow G7 leaders later today, and we’ll continue to coordinate closely with the Netherlands and our European partners as we go forward.

Second, I thanked the Prime Minister for the Netherlands’ strong commitment and contributions to NATO.  Dutch forces have served with distinction in Afghanistan and joined us in confronting piracy off the Horn of Africa.  Through NATO, the Netherlands contributed to the deployment of Patriot air batteries in Turkey and are making important investments in NATO defense capabilities.  Dutch forces are also making critical contributions to the international stabilization mission in Mali. So, across the board, the Dutch are making their presence felt in a very positive way, and we’re very grateful for that.

Third, we discussed how we can keep expanding the trade that creates jobs for our people.  We’re already among each other’s largest trade and investment partners, but we can always do more. And so I appreciated the Netherlands’ strong support for the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, or T-TIP, which can fuel growth both in the United States and in Europe, especially for our small and medium-sized companies.

Fourth, we discussed a range of global challenges.  And as the United States and the P5-plus-1 partners continue negotiations with Iran, we have the basis for a practical solution that resolves concerns over Iran’s nuclear program.  But at the same time, I think it’s important that everyone remember during these negotiations we’ll continue to enforce the overall sanctions architecture that helped bring Iran to the table in the first place. 

I also wanted to commend the Netherlands for its leadership in the international effort to destroy Syria’s chemical weapons, and that includes your role as the host of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.  And more broadly, our two countries are going to keep working together to deliver humanitarian assistance to the Syrian people.

And, finally, we reaffirmed our shared determination to confront climate change and its effects, including rising sea levels, which obviously is something that the Netherlands is concerned about, given your experience with seas and tides.  We’re pleased that the Netherlands has joined our initiative that will virtually end all public financing for coal-fired plants abroad.  It’s concrete action like this that can keep making progress on reducing emissions while we develop new global agreements on climate change.

So, a final note.  When John Adams was negotiating the treaty that we saw earlier, he wrote that the Dutch have -- and I’m quoting here -- have always “distinguished themselves by an inviolable attachment to freedom and the rights of nations.”  That was true then; it remains true today. 

So, Mark, I want to thank you and the Dutch for your hospitality, for your organization, for your partnership and for your leadership on the world stage.  And I want to thank you for sharing these extraordinary paintings with me this morning.

Dank u wel.  Thank you.  (Applause.)

END
11:00 A.M. CET

* * *  Support Warriors Pearl Foundation - contributing to fund efforts to help homeless female military veterans come home.  Visit Denny Lyon Gifts  @ CafePress.com  -  see what's new!  

Subscribe in a reader to Dennys Global Politics

* Check out Dennys News Politics Comedy Science Arts & Food - a place where all my other 20 blogs link so you can choose from among the latest posts all in one place. A free to read online newspaper from independent journalist blogger Denny Lyon. * 

*** THANKS for visiting, feel welcome to drop a comment or opinion, enjoy bookmarking this post on your favorite social site, a big shout out to awesome current subscribers – and if you are new to this blog, please subscribe in a reader or by email updates!

Remarks by President Obama and Prime Minister Rutte of the Netherlands After Bilateral Meeting

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

Gallery of Honor
The Rijksmuseum
Amsterdam, The Netherlands

10:49 A.M. CET

March 24, 2014

PRIME MINISTER RUTTE:  Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Netherlands.  Welcome to Amsterdam.  And, Barack, welcome to this very special location. 

We are standing here on historic grounds, surrounded by the finest paintings that Holland has produced and only a stone’s throw away from the house of John Adams, the first American ambassador to the Netherlands and second President of the United States.  It’s a location that symbolizes the enduring partnership between the U.S. and the Netherlands.  Our shared history and heritage go back a long way.

As an historian, it was a special moment for me when earlier this morning I was able to show President Obama two original documents from our National Archives that played an important role in the age-old friendship between our two countries.  The first was our own Declaration of Independence, the Plakkaat van Verlatinghe of 1581, which inspired Thomas Jefferson and his peers.  The second was the American-Dutch Treaty of Amity and Commerce of 1782, another remarkable document from an age when peace between countries was usually a heartfelt affair.  And today, friendship is still at the heart of the relationship between the United States and the Netherlands, along with trade, shared values, and joint responsibilities.

Since that first treaty we have worked together in the growing awareness that economic prosperity, a safe and stable world and international cooperation go hand in hand.  With this in mind, the President and I talked about a wide range of subjects, starting with a joint climate initiative and the new steps we will take today in that regard.  The Netherlands is joining with the United States and a group of other countries in a bid to stop international public funding of new coal-fired power plants, for example, by multilateral development banks.  We want to achieve an international level playing field to ensure that private and public parties invest in green growth wherever possible.

We also discussed the important topic of the Transatlantic Investment Partnership between the EU and U.S.  Once concluded, this agreement will create more economic growth and jobs on both sides of the Atlantic.  Importantly, it will set new standards that will benefit global trade and third countries as well.  This partnership will bolster our excellent bilateral economic ties even further.

During our conversation I stressed how much we value this partnership.  The Netherlands is the world’s third largest investor in the United States and we are home to some 1,800 American businesses. 

And of course, we also spoke about the major international security issues in Syria, Iran and Ukraine.  Concerning the last, we both regard Russia’s attempts to annex the Crimea as a flagrant breach of international law and we condemn its actions in the strongest possible terms.  The presence of so many world leaders in the Netherlands this week presents an important opportunity for the international community to discuss this subject, as well as other pressing issues that affect our common interests.

Finally, we looked ahead at the Nuclear Security Summit today and tomorrow.  President Obama deserves all the credit for getting this topic high on the agenda.  In 2010, Washington hosted the first summit on this seat.  In 2012, it was Seoul’s turn.  And now the Netherlands is proud to host the summit today and tomorrow in The Hague that will bring us closer to the goal of securing potentially dangerous nuclear material.

Barack, your presence underlines the importance of the summit, and this event, too, demonstrates the strength of the bilateral ties between our countries and of our joint commitment to peace, security and democracy.  I’m delighted to be able to hear from you publicly here at this splendid location.

Again, thank you for coming.

PRESIDENT OBAMA:  Mark, thank you.  And it is a splendid location.  I’m so grateful for your kind words.  We were very pleased to welcome you back in 2011 to the White House, and I appreciate your warm welcome today.  This is my first visit to Amsterdam and to The Hague and to the Netherlands, and I’m so pleased that I’ve had a chance already to meet some wonderful students.  I want to thank the Mayor and the curator for their hospitality as well.  I’m proud to be with some of the Dutch masters who I studied in school, and to see just the extraordinary traditions of this great country. 

I’d be remiss if I did not mention that I’m proud of both of our teams at the Olympics.  So in addition to painting, you really know how to speed skate.  (Laughter.)

As the Prime Minister said, we just had an excellent opportunity to experience the museum and to see those documents, including the Treaty of Friendship that John Adams negotiated more than 200 years ago, as a reminder of the historic ties between our countries.  And this is -- of all the press conferences I’ve done, this is easily the most impressive backdrop that I’ve had to a press conference. 

Of course, we’re here for our third Nuclear Security Summit. And I want to thank His Majesty, King Willem-Alexander, as well as Mark, the people of the Netherlands, for all the preparations that go into bringing together so many heads of state.  This is just one more example of Dutch leadership -- not just on nuclear security, but on many global challenges. 

As you know, the Netherlands is one of our closest allies, and our cooperation underscores a larger point -- our NATO allies are our closest partners on the world stage.  Europe is the cornerstone of America’s engagement with the world.  And today we focused on several priorities -- in Europe and beyond.

First, we obviously spent a considerable amount of time on the situation in Ukraine.  Europe and America are united in our support of the Ukrainian government and the Ukrainian people.  We’re united in imposing a cost on Russia for its actions so far. Prime Minister Rutte rightly pointed out yesterday the growing sanctions would bring significant consequences to the Russian economy.  And I’ll be meeting with my fellow G7 leaders later today, and we’ll continue to coordinate closely with the Netherlands and our European partners as we go forward.

Second, I thanked the Prime Minister for the Netherlands’ strong commitment and contributions to NATO.  Dutch forces have served with distinction in Afghanistan and joined us in confronting piracy off the Horn of Africa.  Through NATO, the Netherlands contributed to the deployment of Patriot air batteries in Turkey and are making important investments in NATO defense capabilities.  Dutch forces are also making critical contributions to the international stabilization mission in Mali. So, across the board, the Dutch are making their presence felt in a very positive way, and we’re very grateful for that.

Third, we discussed how we can keep expanding the trade that creates jobs for our people.  We’re already among each other’s largest trade and investment partners, but we can always do more. And so I appreciated the Netherlands’ strong support for the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, or T-TIP, which can fuel growth both in the United States and in Europe, especially for our small and medium-sized companies.

Fourth, we discussed a range of global challenges.  And as the United States and the P5-plus-1 partners continue negotiations with Iran, we have the basis for a practical solution that resolves concerns over Iran’s nuclear program.  But at the same time, I think it’s important that everyone remember during these negotiations we’ll continue to enforce the overall sanctions architecture that helped bring Iran to the table in the first place. 

I also wanted to commend the Netherlands for its leadership in the international effort to destroy Syria’s chemical weapons, and that includes your role as the host of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.  And more broadly, our two countries are going to keep working together to deliver humanitarian assistance to the Syrian people.

And, finally, we reaffirmed our shared determination to confront climate change and its effects, including rising sea levels, which obviously is something that the Netherlands is concerned about, given your experience with seas and tides.  We’re pleased that the Netherlands has joined our initiative that will virtually end all public financing for coal-fired plants abroad.  It’s concrete action like this that can keep making progress on reducing emissions while we develop new global agreements on climate change.

So, a final note.  When John Adams was negotiating the treaty that we saw earlier, he wrote that the Dutch have -- and I’m quoting here -- have always “distinguished themselves by an inviolable attachment to freedom and the rights of nations.”  That was true then; it remains true today. 

So, Mark, I want to thank you and the Dutch for your hospitality, for your organization, for your partnership and for your leadership on the world stage.  And I want to thank you for sharing these extraordinary paintings with me this morning.

Dank u wel.  Thank you.  (Applause.)

END
11:00 A.M. CET

* * *  Support Warriors Pearl Foundation - contributing to fund efforts to help homeless female military veterans come home.  Visit Denny Lyon Gifts  @ CafePress.com  -  see what's new!  

Subscribe in a reader to Dennys Global Politics

* Check out Dennys News Politics Comedy Science Arts & Food - a place where all my other 20 blogs link so you can choose from among the latest posts all in one place. A free to read online newspaper from independent journalist blogger Denny Lyon. * 

*** THANKS for visiting, feel welcome to drop a comment or opinion, enjoy bookmarking this post on your favorite social site, a big shout out to awesome current subscribers – and if you are new to this blog, please subscribe in a reader or by email updates!