Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State

Bucharest, Romania

Palace of Parliament

SECRETARY BLINKEN:  Well, good morning, everyone.  It’s a pleasure to get a chance to meet with Foreign Minister Lahbib, really for the first time.  We’ve spoken, and of course we’ve been at the various NATO meetings, but this is our first opportunity to really get together in person, and for me to say again a belated congratulations on taking on the job.  Belgium of course is, to the United States, a close, trusted ally and partner.  It’s the center of activity for so much of our diplomacy between the European Union, NATO, and of course our own strong bilateral partnership, which is growing ever deeper and stronger, both on issues that join us together directly, issues in the Euro-Atlantic region, and indeed around the globe.

So as always, we have a lot to talk about, and I’m really pleased for the opportunity to do so on the margins (inaudible).

FOREIGN MINISTER LAHBIB:  It’s a pleasure and an honor, as I said, and the occasion to speak a little French with Antony is always a pleasure.  We are a small country in the center of Europe, and it’s very important to have discussion and your support as an ally of the country, and we thank you for that.