Secretary Remarks

Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State

Seoul, Republic of Korea

Shilla Hotel

SECRETARY BLINKEN:  Thank you, everyone.  Thank you, and good morning again.  Thank you.

So I again want to thank President Yoon and Foreign Minister Cho for bringing us together to discuss what is one of the most transformational forces that’s shaping our future, our world, our democracies – and that is artificial intelligence.

I think it’s hard to overstate the extent to which

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Regions: Chile, United Kingdom , United States

Topics: Energy, Global Health, Global Women's Issues, Human Rights and Democracy, Science, Technology, and Innovation

July 31, 2012 to August 10, 2012 Travels With Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton Photos Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton traveled to Africa July 31 through August 10, 2012. During this trip, the Secretary emphasized U.S. policy commitments outlined in the Presidential Policy Directive - to strengthen democratic institutions, spur economic growth, advance peace and security as well as promote opportunity and development for all citizens. The Secretary’s first stop was Sene...

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Interview John Kerry Secretary of State Cambridge, Massachusetts January 9, 2017 QUESTION: Secretary Kerry, thank you so much for speaking with me today. SECRETARY KERRY: My pleasure. Thank you. QUESTION: First of all, I want to ask you – just big-picture here – how are you feeling at the end of your term? SECRETARY KERRY: I feel great. I mean, I feel very energized still, very focused, trying to finish up some key things; regretting a little bit that there isn’t more time to try to fi...

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Remarks John Kerry Secretary of State Cabinet Exit Memo Washington, DC January 5, 2017     Introduction When President Obama took office in 2009, the United States was engaged in two costly wars, faced the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, and had a diminished standing with many of our allies and partners around the world. The starting point for this Presidency was one of the toughest I have ever seen in my decades of public service. Over the past eight years, President Ob...

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Topics: Arms Control and Nonproliferation, Climate and Environment, Countering Terrorism, Economic Prosperity and Trade Policy, Energy, Global Health, Human Rights and Democracy, Refugee and Humanitarian Assistance, Science, Technology, and Innovation, The Ocean and Polar Affairs, Treaties and International Agreements

Press Statement John Kerry Secretary of State Washington, DC December 10, 2016 The United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights 68 years ago today to recognize and elevate the inherent dignity and inalienable rights of all individuals. On this International Human Rights Day, we recommit ourselves to upholding universal respect for the fundamental freedoms of all humankind. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights holds the promise of hope for the civilians who are c...

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Remarks John Kerry Secretary of State Washington, DC December 3, 2016 SECRETARY KERRY: Hello everyone. On behalf of the entire State Department, I am really pleased to join in recognizing the 25th annual International Day set aside to honor the one billion people around the world who have disabilities. Here in the United States, after many, many years of discrimination and delay, we have finally made substantial progress in ensuring that persons with disabilities are able to exercise their full rights. ...

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Remarks John Kerry Secretary of State Grand National Theater Lima, Peru November 18, 2016 SECRETARY KERRY: Scott, thank you very much. My apologies to all on two counts: one for arriving, and then two for leaving almost as fast as I arrived. (Laughter.) But I received a call from the State Department; unfortunately, I needed to take it. But my apologies to all. Scott, thank you so much. Thanks for helping to lead this effort. I’m delighted to see that you are balancing the needs of customers with ...

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Press Statement John Kerry Secretary of State Washington, DC November 17, 2016 On behalf of President Obama and the American people, I congratulate the Monegasque citizens as you celebrate the Sovereign Prince’s Day on November 19. Please also accept our warmest felicitations on the tenth anniversary of full diplomatic relations between the United States and Monaco. Monaco is one of the world’s oldest sovereignties and has been a trusted friend to the United States for over 150 years. The Un...

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Remarks John Kerry Secretary of State Chatham House London, United Kingdom October 31, 2016 MR NIBLETT: Welcome to Chatham House, excellencies, lords, ladies, and gentlemen, and welcome also to this 2016 Chatham House Prize ceremony. We’re delighted that so many of our members are here with us today; also supporters, guests, thank you very much for making the time. Our Chatham House Council members, our Panel of Senior Advisors, our Second Century Committee, representative of U.K. Government, oppo...

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Press Availability John Kerry Secretary of State Tipperary, Ireland October 30, 2016 FOREIGN MINISTER FLANAGAN: Good morning, everybody. Welcome to the Golden Vale of Tipperary on this beautiful autumn morning, and in particular I want to especially welcome Secretary of State John Kerry not only to Ireland but to the heart of Ireland to receive the highly acclaimed Tipperary International Peace Award. Today, the Secretary of State joins a long list of awardees which includes Nelson Mandela, Mikhail Gorb...

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Interview John Kerry Secretary of State Chicago, Illinois October 26, 2016 QUESTION: Secretary Kerry, welcome. I – we’re 80-some days from the – as we sit here today at the University of Chicago, we’re 80-some days from the end of this administration. It seems like a good time to kind of look back a little bit at your life and your career. And I wanted to ask you, I’m so intrigued by the fact that your dad was in the Foreign Service. And I was – what influence did tha...

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Remarks John Kerry Secretary of State The White House Washington, DC October 24, 2016 Well, thank you, Valerie. Thank you very, very much, and my apologies to all for being a moment late. But let me second what Valerie said with respect to the efforts of everybody. This is our last meeting, as she mentioned, and I have to say that over the four years of this effort, I’m personally really grateful for and impressed by the extraordinary distance we have traveled here. This all-of-government effort h...

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Remarks John Kerry Secretary of State Palo Alto, California October 10, 2016 MS BOYD: So, Mr. Secretary, welcome to Silicon Valley and thank you for joining us today. SECRETARY KERRY: Happy to be here. Thank you. MS BOYD: I’m going to dive right in because we have a little bit less time than we planned. And I wanted to start with the big news from Friday. And since so much news broke on Friday, I should probably be a little more specific. (Laughter.) So on Friday, the Obama Administration official...

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Remarks John Kerry Secretary of State Wilson Center Washington, DC September 28, 2016 SECRETARY KERRY: Jane, thank you for a wonderful introduction. I hugely appreciate your support, your counsel. And obviously, we are living in complicated times. I want to thank you for many, many years of remarkable service to our country. Jane was reminding me as we were walking up here that we were by happenstance on a flight together not so many years ago, and she secretly informed me of the offer from the Wilson C...

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Press Statement John Kerry Secretary of State Washington, DC August 25, 2016 On behalf of President Obama and the people of the United States, I congratulate the people of Uruguay as you celebrate the 191 st anniversary of your nation’s independence on August 25. The United States places a high value on its enduring friendship with Uruguay, a friendship based on the many interests and values we share, including a mutual commitment to democracy, human rights, social justice, and peace. Together, we...

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Remarks John Kerry Secretary of State Sultan's Palace Sokoto, Nigeria August 23, 2016 SECRETARY KERRY: Thank you so much. Thank you. Asalaam Alaikum . Thank you very much. Maryam, thank you very, very much. Good morning everybody. Good morning to all of you – your Excellency Governor Tambuwal; your Excellency Governor Yari; your Eminence, Sultan, who was very, very kind to host us here today and whose leadership I particularly appreciate with respect to all of the interfaith efforts, which are so ...

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Interview John Kerry Secretary of State Rosa Kempinski Hotel Nairobi, Kenya August 22, 2016 QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, first of all, it’s an honor to speak to you. Thank you for finding the time to speak to Eye Radio. For formality purpose, please introduce yourself to our listeners. SECRETARY KERRY: Well, thank you. I’m delighted to be with you. I’m John Kerry, the Secretary of State of the United States, and delighted to be in Nairobi. QUESTION: While giving the press briefing a short ...

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Press Statement John Kerry Secretary of State Washington, DC August 11, 2016 On behalf of President Obama and the American people, I congratulate the people of the Principality of Liechtenstein on the occasion of your National Day on August 15. The longstanding partnership between our nations is firmly grounded in the interests we share and the values we uphold, including a firm commitment to the promotion of human rights, peace, and democracy around the world. The United States applauds Liechtenstein f...

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Remarks John Kerry Secretary of State Palacio Itamaraty Rio de Janeiro, Brazil August 5, 2016 FOREIGN MINISTER SERRA: (Via interpretation) Good afternoon. I want to begin by saying that the visit of Secretary John Kerry and the very productive meeting we just had may represent the first step of a new phase in the relationship between Brazil and the United States – they may represent, and I am certain, I am confident that they will represent. The closeness between U.S. and Brazil is bolstered by Pr...

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Press Availability John Kerry Secretary of State San Martin Palace Buenos Aires, Argentina August 4, 2016 FOREIGN MINISTER MALCORRA: (Via interpretation, in progress) …to this press conference to be followed by a working lunch, which some ministers will be joining to expand on some of the items on our agenda. We have essentially – we have – hello? (Interruption to interpretation.) (Via interpretation, in progress) …meeting between the teams of the foreign ministry and the State...

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Remarks John Kerry    Secretary of State Brett McGurk    Special Presidential Envoy for the Global Coalition To Counter ISIL , Office of the Special Presidential Envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter ISIL Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter Loy Henderson Auditorium Washington, DC July 21, 2016 SECRETARY KERRY: Well, good morning, everybody, and thank you very, very much for joining us at an extremely important meeting, and an important moment. And we are very grateful to ever...

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Press Availability John Kerry Secretary of State Justus Lipsius Building Brussels, Belgium July 18, 2016 HIGH REPRESENTATIVE MOGHERINI: Thank you very much. John, welcome. It’s an honor and it’s been a pleasure to welcome you for the first time at the Foreign Affairs Council with the 28 foreign ministers of our union just a few days after our leaders summit in Warsaw, where we clearly reaffirmed that transatlantic unity has never been so important and so strong. And the EU-U.S. relationship ...

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Remarks John Kerry Secretary of State Ben Franklin Room Washington, DC June 30, 2016 AMBASSADOR COPPEDGE: Thank you, everyone, for being here today. That was quite a reception, and on behalf of the heroes and the Secretary, thank you for that. Just some brief notes on our program: The Secretary is going to make some remarks. We’re going to honor our wonderful heroes this year. We have nine heroes from eight countries. One of them will make some brief remarks and then I will do the closing. And aft...

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Remarks John Kerry Secretary of State Dean Acheson Auditorium Washington, DC June 21, 2016 SECRETARY KERRY: Regina, thank you very much. Good morning to everybody. Regina is the first USAID officer to become president of GLIFAA, and I think everybody here will agree she is doing an outstanding job, so thank you very, very much. (Applause.) I want to thank and congratulate at the same time Secretary Fanning. Thank you for your groundbreaking leadership, and we appreciate enormously what you are doing. Th...

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Regions: Egypt , Mexico , Russia

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Remarks John Kerry Secretary of State United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Special Envoy Angelina Jolie Pitt ADAMS Center Sterling, Virginia June 20, 2016 MS JOLIE PITT: Secretary of State, ladies and gentlemen, scouts, good evening. It is such a pleasure to be with all of you, with people of different backgrounds, faiths, and beliefs all pulling in the same direction and sharing a common outlook of respect and tolerance. It reminds me how lucky we are to be living in a country that enables civ...

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Remarks John Kerry Secretary of State Oslo, Norway June 15, 2016 SECRETARY KERRY: Well, good morning, everybody. Borge, thank you so much for a very generous introduction. More importantly, thank you for a wonderful welcome back to Norway and to this pretty idyllic and appropriate setting for the discussions that you all are engaged in, and that I’m privileged to take part in this morning. I really want to begin by thanking Borge. And I am looking around and seeing so many faces – Espen, oth...

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Remarks John Kerry Secretary of State Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic June 14, 2016 Also available in Spanish . SECRETARY KERRY:   Good morning, buenos dias .  Mr. President, thank you for your consideration and I thank all my colleagues for their understanding.  I have to step out to do a video conference with the President and others, and I appreciate your understanding. Let me begin by thanking our hosts, President Medina of the Dominican Republic and Foreign Minister Navar...

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Remarks John Kerry Secretary of State Secretary of the Treasury Jacob J. Lew, Chinese Vice Premier Wang Yang, and Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi Great Hall of the People Beijing, China June 7, 2016 MODERATOR: Distinguished guests, friends from the media, good afternoon. Welcome to the closing ceremony and press conference of the eighth S&ED. Today we have the pleasure of having with us the four special representatives. First let us invite special representative of President Xi, Vice Premier Wan...

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Remarks John Kerry Secretary of State Shangri La Hotel Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia June 5, 2016 AMBASSADOR GALT: (In progress) This is also different from our past meetings because we don’t have any tea or cookies. (Laughter.) But today you have the opportunity to meet with United States Secretary of State John Kerry, so I trust that makes up for the missing cookies. (Laughter.) It’s a great privilege to introduce Secretary Kerry to you, but before I do that, I thought I would quickly introduce yo...

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Press Statement John Kerry Secretary of State Washington, DC May 30, 2016 The United States welcomes the Extraordinary African Chambers' issuance of the judgment finding former Chadian President Hissene Habre guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity, including charges of murder, torture, rape, and sexual slavery, and sentencing him to life in prison. This ruling is a landmark in the global fight against impunity for atrocities, including war crimes and crimes against humanity. Habre’s ...

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Remarks John Kerry Secretary of State Ben Franklin Room Washington, DC May 13, 2016 SECRETARY KERRY: Thank you very, very much. Please be seated. Good afternoon to everybody. (In Norwegian.) (Applause.) Which, not translated literally, means “Welcome, all of you, to my house.” And it’s hardly that it’s our house; it’s Ben Franklin’s room, and we are really privileged to welcome our Nordic friends here. I truly – I didn’t start out by trying to play favorit...

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Remarks John Kerry Secretary of State Rice University Houston, Texas April 26, 2016 MR LEEBRON: Good evening, and welcome to this wonderful venue at Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music. We are thrilled to be hosting such a remarkable event tonight and thankful to Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy for making it possible. We are very grateful to Secretary Kerry for choosing the Baker Institute for his address this evening, and we welcome him warmly to Rice University. ...

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Press Statement John Kerry Secretary of State Washington, DC April 25, 2016 The men and women of the U.S. State Department join me today in condemning the barbaric murder of Mr. Xulhaz Mannan, a locally-hired employee of our embassy in Dhaka, Bangladesh, and another of his activist friends. We are profoundly saddened by the loss of one of our own in such a senseless act of violence, and we extend our deepest condolences to Xulhaz’s family and loved ones. Xulhaz, who worked for the United States Ag...

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Remarks John Kerry Secretary of State Miami, FL April 14, 2016 SECRETARY KERRY: Thank you. Wow, thank you so much. Thank you for a very, very generous welcome. Eric, thank you for an absolutely splendid, terrific introduction. I am enormously appreciative for it. And I have to tell you, the four of you were just absolutely spectacular. Congratulations to you. It’s just really wonderful. (Applause.) I was listening to Eric’s introduction and he told me beforehand in back here that he kind of ...

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Remarks John Kerry Secretary of State Press Briefing Room Washington, DC April 13, 2016 SECRETARY KERRY: Good afternoon, everybody. Thanks for being here. I’m going to make a statement and I have to run from here to an NSC meeting on a number of issues, so forgive me if I dash out of here. I’m not trying to avoid you, but Tom will take some questions and I think John’s going to come to the podium and he’ll make some statements. I know there’s some events that you’re c...

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Remarks John Kerry Secretary of State Washington, DC March 29, 2016 Good morning, everybody, and welcome. And Cathy, thank you so much for the spectacular job that you are doing. I can’t think of anybody better suited to work on the State Department’s top priorities, and Cathy is really offering extraordinary leadership, encouraging every embassy, every consulate, every bureau, every Foreign Service and civil service officer to integrate gender equality into our work. And I think she has bri...

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Interview John Kerry Secretary of State Hotel Nacional Havana, Cuba March 22, 2016 QUESTION: Good morning. SECRETARY KERRY: Good morning. QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, these attacks in Brussels are sending shockwaves across the world. What can you tell Americans this morning? Are we safe? SECRETARY KERRY: Well, we’re constantly vigilant. We work as hard as humanly possible to make everybody safe. Regrettably, if one person decides they want to kill themselves and they want to blow themselves up around ...

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Remarks John Kerry Secretary of State Treaty Room Washington, DC March 15, 2016 SECRETARY KERRY: Good afternoon, everybody. Thank you for being here with us. It’s my privilege today to welcome the Foreign Minister of Georgia, Mikheil Janelidze. I’m very happy to have him here. I have had the privilege of traveling several times to Georgia previously, and it’s very much my hope to be able to get there somewhere in the course of the next months. Before I say a few words about Georgia, wi...

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Press Availability John Kerry Secretary of State Washington, DC February 5, 2016 SECRETARY KERRY: Well, good afternoon, everybody. Thank you very much for being here with us. A few minutes ago, President Santos and members of the Colombian and American delegations completed a working lunch next door in the Jefferson Room. And now, Mr. President, I am delighted to welcome you to the Ben Franklin Room, Mr. Franklin back up there on the wall. It was named for a unique American diplomat, and I think you kno...

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Remarks John Kerry Secretary of State Ministry of Foreign Affairs Rome, Italy February 2, 2016 MODERATOR: (Via interpreter) Good afternoon. Welcome to our press conference of the ministerial summit of the small group of the Global Coalition to Counter Daesh. Minister Gentiloni and Secretary of State Kerry will make some brief statements, and then you’ll have a chance to ask some questions. Minister Gentiloni, you have the floor. FOREIGN MINISTER GENTILONI: (Via interpreter) Good afternoon, everyon...

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Remarks John Kerry Secretary of State Davos, Switzerland January 22, 2016 SECRETARY KERRY: Klaus, thank you very, very much. Hello, everybody. Good morning to you. Klaus, first of all, thank you for your very warm, generous introduction. I especially want to thank you for your superb leadership of the World Economic Forum for many years. As you’ve said, it’s been my honor to come here. This may have been the hardest trip of all. I was looking up at the mountain, fresh snow, and I saw those b...

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Interview John Kerry Secretary of State Washington, DC January 18, 2016 QUESTION: Our Secretary of State John Kerry joins us live from the State Department, Foggy Bottom in Washington, D.C. Good morning to you, Mr. Secretary. SECRETARY KERRY: Good morning to you. QUESTION: Before we get started about the Iran deal, I wanted to ask you about these three American contractors who have gone missing in Iraq. What can you tell us? SECRETARY KERRY: Well, I can just tell you that we are in very direct contact w...

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Regions: Iran , United Kingdom , United States

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Remarks John Kerry Secretary of State Willard Hotel Washington, DC December 5, 2015 SECRETARY KERRY: Thank you all very, very much. Thank you, Bruce, for a very generous introduction. And thank you, ladies and gentlemen; I apologize that we are starting a few moments late. I’m delighted to be here, distinguished members of Congress. Steny and Nita I know are here, and Jolie Ruben, my former colleague and longtime friend, and I think Bogie Ya’alon is out there somewhere. And Bogie, good to se...

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Topics: Arms Control and Nonproliferation, Climate and Environment, Countering Terrorism, Economic Prosperity and Trade Policy, Energy, Global Health, Human Rights and Democracy, Refugee and Humanitarian Assistance, Science, Technology, and Innovation, The Ocean and Polar Affairs, Treaties and International Agreements

Press Statement John Kerry Secretary of State Washington, DC November 30, 2015 On behalf of President Obama and the American people, I congratulate all Romanians on the celebration of your Unification Day. Nearly a century ago, a group of Romanian leaders came together to establish a united, democratic state that promoted the equality and freedom of its citizens. Today, we honor those early visionaries and those who have followed in their footsteps, dedicating themselves to advancing the shared values o...

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Remarks John Kerry Secretary of State Washington, DC November 12, 2015 SECRETARY KERRY: Nancy, thank you very, very much. I apologize for being a couple minutes late over here. And I’m delighted to see a lot of friends and pleased that all of you could come here, share some thoughts this afternoon. It’s great for me to be here, and I want to thank the United States Institute of Peace for hosting all of us here this afternoon. I have to tell you I’m used to flying long distances to deli...

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Remarks John Kerry Secretary of State United Nations New York City November 11, 2015 SECRETARY KERRY: Moran, thank you very, very much. Thank you for being here, and for lending your success and persona to this event. Mr. Secretary General, it is a privilege to be here with you always, and we thank you for your great work. Ambassador Danon, thank you for helping to sponsor this night. David Harris, good to see you, thank you for your leadership. Ambassador Power, always wonderful to be with you. I love ...

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Regions: Israel , United States

Topics: Climate and Environment, Countering Terrorism, Energy, Human Rights and Democracy, Science, Technology, and Innovation

Remarks John Kerry Secretary of State Bloomington, Indiana October 15, 2015 SECRETARY KERRY:   Thank you very much.  I accept the nomination.  (Laughter.)  You have twice welcomed me by standing up, and I am deeply appreciative.  I will caution you all to remind you that Winston Churchill once said that the only reason people give a standing ovation is they desperately need an excuse to shift their underwear.  (Laughter.)  I know you had a much more noble concept in mi...

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Regions: Afghanistan, Canada , China, Colombia , Cuba , Iran , Iraq , Israel , Kuwait , Russia , Saudi Arabia , South Africa , Syria , United Kingdom , United States , West Bank

Topics: Climate and Environment, Countering Terrorism, Economic Prosperity and Trade Policy, Energy, Global Health, Human Rights and Democracy, Refugee and Humanitarian Assistance, Science, Technology, and Innovation, The Ocean and Polar Affairs

Remarks John Kerry Secretary of State Charles Hotel Cambridge, Massachusetts October 13, 2015 MR ALLISON: So thank you very much. Apologies for a short delay, but it’s a great honor to welcome to Harvard tonight our Secretary of State, and I’m Graham Allison, the Director of the Belfer Center. I would say we have not seen the Secretary of State exhibit such energy and determination in bringing home an agreement like the Iranian nuclear agreement. So the real purpose for me tonight is to, wit...

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Regions: Afghanistan, China, Denmark , Egypt , Ethiopia , Iran , Iraq , Israel , Jordan , Korea, North , Lebanon , Libya , Oman , Peru , Russia , Sudan , Syria , Turkey , Uganda , Ukraine , United Kingdom , United States , Venezuela , Vietnam

Topics: Climate and Environment, Combating Drugs and Crime, Countering Terrorism, Economic Prosperity and Trade Policy, Energy, Global Health, Human Rights and Democracy, Refugee and Humanitarian Assistance, Science, Technology, and Innovation, The Ocean and Polar Affairs, Treaties and International Agreements

Remarks John Kerry Secretary of State Loy Henderson Auditorium Washington, DC October 9, 2015 Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you very, very much. I apologize for being a little bit late, and if this is indeed the moment you’ve all been waiting for, you’re leading very drab lives. (Laughter.) I’m really happy to be here with all of you. Thank you very much. Welcome to the launch of the Global Diaspora Week here at the State Department. We’re very proud of this effort and it...

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Regions: Ireland , Israel , Japan , Mexico , Nepal , Pakistan , Philippines , Rwanda , Ukraine , United Kingdom , United States

Topics: Countering Terrorism, Global Health, Human Rights and Democracy, Refugee and Humanitarian Assistance, Science, Technology, and Innovation

Remarks John Kerry Secretary of State Valparaiso, Chile October 5, 2015 SECRETARY KERRY: (In Spanish.) Thank you very much. PARTICIPANT: (Via interpreter) Thank you. (Inaudible.) SECRETARY KERRY: Buenos dias , everybody. How are you? Good. All right. I’m testing your English – better than my Spanish. What a pleasure for me to be here. Can you all see? Here, you want me to stand up? Is that better? There. I’ll stand up. It’s a real pleasure for me to be here. Mr. President, Senato...

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Regions: Antarctica, Chile, China, Italy , Russia , Turkey , United Kingdom , United States

Topics: Climate and Environment, Countering Terrorism, Energy, Global Health, Human Rights and Democracy, Refugee and Humanitarian Assistance, Science, Technology, and Innovation, The Ocean and Polar Affairs

Photos from Trip» Secretary of State John Kerry traveled to Colombo, Sri Lanka, on May 1 for his first trip to the country and the first visit by a Secretary of State since 2005. In Colombo, he met government leaders, civil society members, and other representatives from the country’s diverse communities to hear and express U.S. support for their vision for a more peaceful, stable, and prosperous future for its people. Secretary Kerry also joined his hosts for the celebration of the Buddhist...

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Regions: Djibouti , France , Kenya , Somalia , Sri Lanka , United States

Topics: Economic Prosperity and Trade Policy, Human Rights and Democracy, Refugee and Humanitarian Assistance

Press Statement John Kerry Secretary of State Washington, DC December 10, 2014 Delegates from around the world came together 66 years ago amid the rubble of World War II to sign the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, articulating fundamental civil and political rights of all people, and reminding each of us of our responsibility to respect those rights. This past September, I was reminded of the power and enduring relevance of the Universal Declaration when I stood at the United Nations with Shin Do...

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Regions: China, United Kingdom

Topics: Countering Terrorism, Energy, Human Rights and Democracy, Refugee and Humanitarian Assistance

Remarks John Kerry Secretary of State Washington, DC December 10, 2014 Roberta, thank you very much. Thank you all for being here. Thank you for your patience. I apologize for – I know we’ve kept you a little bit, and I apologize for starting late. I was stuck at the White House at a meeting, and I think some of you know what that’s like, right? I mean being stuck, not at the White House. (Laughter.) Roberta, I really appreciate your incredible stewardship. Thank you for your partnersh...

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Regions: Brazil , Canada , Chile, Colombia , Costa Rica , Honduras , Mexico , Panama , Peru , United Kingdom , United States , Western Hemisphere

Topics: Climate and Environment, Combating Drugs and Crime, Economic Prosperity and Trade Policy, Energy, Global Health, Human Rights and Democracy, Science, Technology, and Innovation

Press Statement John Kerry Secretary of State Washington, DC November 20, 2014 On this year’s Transgender Day of Remembrance, we honor the memory of the innocent souls who died because of who they are and who they love. Today and every day, the United States stands with the LGBTI community and its allies to stop all acts of hate and violence against gender non-conforming people. I will never forget standing on the steps of the U.S. Capitol in 1998 to honor Matthew Shepard, a young man killed just ...

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Regions: United States

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Remarks John Kerry Secretary of State Four Seasons Hotel Washington, DC November 17, 2014 Thank you. David, thank you very much. Thank you all. Good morning to you. I’m delighted to have a chance to be able to be here and appreciate the breadth of what you all are going to be tackling over the course of the day, so I particularly am grateful. David, thank you for – everyone – rearranging schedules so that we could flip this around today, literally leaving straight from here to go to th...

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Regions: Canada , Egypt , Indonesia , Iran , Iraq , Israel , Jordan , Lebanon , New Zealand , Norway , Russia , Syria , Turkey , United Kingdom , United States

Topics: Climate and Environment, Countering Terrorism, Economic Prosperity and Trade Policy, Energy, Global Women's Issues, Human Rights and Democracy, Refugee and Humanitarian Assistance, Science, Technology, and Innovation, The Ocean and Polar Affairs

Press Statement John Kerry Secretary of State Washington, DC October 10, 2014 There is no greater purpose than a life lived in service to those whom society has forgotten. Today, I congratulate Kailash Satyarthi and Malala Yousafzai for winning the 95 th Nobel Peace Prize. Their efforts to promote the rights of children have benefited millions of young people around the world. Kailash and his organization, Bachpan Bachao Andolan, have worked to eradicate modern slavery in India. Their work has freed tho...

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Press Statement John Kerry Secretary of State Washington, DC October 10, 2014 As we celebrate International Day of the Girl, I congratulate Malala Yousafzai of Pakistan who has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. As a recipient of one of the world’s highest honors, Malala’s resilience and courage challenge us all to support the struggle against brutality, ignorance, and violence. She inspires hope in millions of people and embodies our commitment to human rights and education. International ...

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Regions: Afghanistan, Pakistan , United Kingdom , United States

Topics: Energy, Global Health, Global Women's Issues, Human Rights and Democracy

Remarks John Kerry Secretary of State UN Headquarters New York City September 25, 2014 I apologize for coming in late and probably leaving early. Am I correct? I am correct. I apologize. I just mentioned to the Secretary-General the extraordinary pace of UNGA, but this is special and I wanted to be part of it, and it’s a great honor for me to be able to share in what is literally an historic event. Brooker, thank you. I don’t know how he does it, Brooker -- he’s at everything, this guy...

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Regions: Brazil , Chile, Colombia , El Salvador , South Africa , United States

Topics: Human Rights and Democracy

Remarks John Kerry Secretary of State Waldorf-Astoria New York City September 23, 2014 Thank you very much, Ambassador King, and I want to thank Assistant Secretary Tom Malinowski for bringing us together today with Danny Russel. And I’m particularly grateful to our fellow ministers and diplomatic corps for being here today, and particularly grateful to my colleagues, the Foreign Minister of Japan, the Foreign Minister of the Republic of Korea, for being here to share in this, and Prince Zeid also...

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Regions: Australia , Korea, North , United Kingdom , United States

Topics: Global Women's Issues, Human Rights and Democracy, Science, Technology, and Innovation

Remarks John Kerry Secretary of State Waldorf Astoria New York City September 22, 2014 Thank you very much. Thank you. (Applause.) Thank you all very, very much. My apologies for being a little bit late, and my apologies ahead of time for having to leave here after I speak, because we have a meeting taking place shortly on the important subject of Syria – Syria, excuse me, Libya. And I’ve got a group of foreign ministers coming in momentarily, so I appreciate your indulgence on that. Anne Ri...

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Regions: Iraq , Syria , United Kingdom , United States

Topics: Energy, Human Rights and Democracy, Refugee and Humanitarian Assistance, Science, Technology, and Innovation

Press Statement John Kerry Secretary of State Washington, DC September 21, 2014 On behalf of President Obama and the people of the United States, I congratulate the people of Malta as you celebrate your Independence Day on September 21. Today marks 50 years since independence came to your country by democratic vote. Decades later, Malta’s steadfast promotion of economic prosperity and human rights stands as a powerful example of democracy’s promise. Your country continues to stand up for the...

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Regions: Malta

Topics: Human Rights and Democracy

Press Statement John Kerry Secretary of State Washington, DC September 7, 2014 On behalf of President Obama and the American people, I extend my best wishes to the people of Andorra as they celebrate Our Lady of Meritxell’s Day on September 8. Our strong bilateral ties with Andorra expand beyond our almost 20 years of diplomatic relations. Andorra is a valued partner with the United States in the United Nations and other international organizations, where we have collaborated extensively based on ...

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Regions: Andorra , United States

Topics: Human Rights and Democracy

Press Statement John Kerry Secretary of State Washington, DC September 6, 2014 To the Indonesians who loved him, he was simply known as Munir. He spent his life working to make his country more democratic, more free, and more humane. Ten years ago today someone assassinated him because they feared he just might succeed. Still today, justice has not been served. Full accountability for all those allegedly involved remains elusive. In 2004, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono recognized that the credible r...

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Remarks John Kerry Secretary of State Dean Acheson Auditorium Washington, DC September 3, 2014 Well, Shaun, thank you very much for a warm and generous introduction. Good morning to everybody. Assalamu alaikum . Honored to be here with you this morning, and thank you so much for coming to join us on this really, frankly, exciting occasion. It’s my opportunity to be able to welcome and announce at the same time our new Special Representative for Muslim Communities, Shaarik Zafar. And – yes. a...

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Regions: Syria , United States

Topics: Climate and Environment, Countering Terrorism, Global Health, Human Rights and Democracy, Refugee and Humanitarian Assistance

Press Availability John Kerry Secretary of State Lake Garden Hotel Naypyitaw, Burma August 10, 2014 SECRETARY KERRY: Good afternoon, everybody. I want to thank President Thein Sein for his government’s warm welcome here during the course of this conference, for his leadership as chair of ASEAN, and for serving as the United States-ASEAN country coordinator. Burma has made a significant amount of progress over the course of the last years, and when I was last here in 1999, I visited with Aung San S...

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Regions: Burma , China, Korea, North , Malaysia , United Kingdom , United States

Topics: Arms Control and Nonproliferation, Climate and Environment, Energy, Global Health, Human Rights and Democracy, The Ocean and Polar Affairs

Townhall John Kerry Secretary of State National Academy of Sciences Washington, DC August 4, 2014 SECRETARY KERRY: Well, good morning, everybody. Thank you, Linda, very, very much for opening this exciting beginning of a very exciting three days, and we’re really delighted to welcome everybody here. Thank you all for joining us this morning to have a candid back-and-forth about a critical topic, and we are particularly grateful to all of our panelists. I want to thank Shaka Ssali for helping to &n...

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Regions: Botswana , Ghana , Kenya , Tanzania , United States

Topics: Climate and Environment, Countering Terrorism, Economic Prosperity and Trade Policy, Energy, Global Health, Human Rights and Democracy, Science, Technology, and Innovation

Remarks John Kerry Secretary of State Press Briefing Room Washington, DC July 28, 2014 SECRETARY KERRY: Good morning, everybody. How are you? AUDIENCE: Morning. SECRETARY KERRY: Is everybody good? So I’m going to make – David, I want you out here with me, if you would. Tom, why don’t you come out here on the other side. Thank you, sir. I’m going to make a statement, and then I need to rush out of here because I have a phone call literally in about 10 minutes. And I’ll leave...

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Regions: Burma , China, Iran , Iraq , Israel , Korea, North , Turkmenistan , United Kingdom , United States

Topics: Arms Control and Nonproliferation, Countering Terrorism, Human Rights and Democracy, Refugee and Humanitarian Assistance, Science, Technology, and Innovation

Press Availability John Kerry Secretary of State Treasury Secretary Jack Lew Beijing, China July 10, 2014 SECRETARY KERRY: Good evening, everybody. Thank you for being patient. We’re delighted to be here. Let me begin by thanking our Chinese hosts for their very warm welcome and for the depth and breadth of the discussions that we had in this year’s Strategic and Economic Dialogue. During our meetings with President Xi and Prime Minister Li, Secretary Lew and I discussed a number of importan...

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Regions: Afghanistan, China, Israel , Korea, North , United Kingdom , United States , West Bank

Topics: Arms Control and Nonproliferation, Climate and Environment, Countering Terrorism, Economic Prosperity and Trade Policy, Energy, Global Health, Human Rights and Democracy, Refugee and Humanitarian Assistance, Science, Technology, and Innovation, The Ocean and Polar Affairs, Treaties and International Agreements

Press Statement John Kerry Secretary of State Washington, DC June 23, 2014 Today's conviction and chilling, draconian sentences by the Cairo Criminal Court of three Al Jazeera journalists and fifteen others in a trial that lacked many fundamental norms of due process, is a deeply disturbing set-back to Egypt's transition. Injustices like these simply cannot stand if Egypt is to move forward in the way that President al-Sisi and Foreign Minister Shoukry told me just yesterday that they aspire to ...

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Regions: Egypt , United Kingdom

Topics: Human Rights and Democracy

Remarks John Kerry Secretary of State Cairo, Egypt June 22, 2014 FOREIGN MINISTER SHOUKRY: (Via interpreter) I would like to welcome U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry in his current visit to Cairo. And this visit (inaudible) time. Egypt is taking steady steps to (inaudible) the implementation of the roadmap, and after having fulfilled the second election (inaudible) elections, and the assumption of power of President Fattah – Abdel Fattah al-Sisi after having won a majority that reflects the wide...

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Regions: Egypt , Iran , Iraq , Israel , Libya , Syria , United Kingdom , United States

Topics: Countering Terrorism, Global Health, Human Rights and Democracy

Press Statement John Kerry Secretary of State Washington, DC June 20, 2014 The Department of State joins the world in celebrating LGBT Pride Month and reaffirms its commitment to the promotion and protection of the human rights of LGBT persons around the globe. In the United States, we have made marked progress in tearing down the unjust and unfair barriers that have prevented the full realization of the human rights of LGBT persons. We know there is more to do, but here, the arc of history is bending t...

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Regions: United States

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Remarks John Kerry Secretary of State Ben Franklin Room Washington, DC June 20, 2014 SECRETARY KERRY: Ambassador Lou CdeBaca, thank you very, very much. Thank you for your leadership, primarily. You’re a visionary on this and a relentless advocate on behalf of human rights. We are all deeply grateful to you for your leadership. And Sarah Sewall, thank you for your leadership and for being part of this great effort. And thank you all for being here. This is an assembly of people who have come here ...

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Regions: Afghanistan, Iraq , Peru , United Kingdom , United States

Topics: Climate and Environment, Countering Terrorism, Energy, Global Health, Human Rights and Democracy, Refugee and Humanitarian Assistance, Science, Technology, and Innovation

Remarks John Kerry Secretary of State ExCeL Conference Center London, United Kingdom June 13, 2014 FOREIGN SECRETARY HAGUE: Well, thank you very much. Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, and thank you for coming to this, the concluding press conference of the Summit on Ending Sexual Violence in Conflict. As you know, I’ve been co-chairing this this week with the Special Envoy of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees Angelina Jolie, and I’m also very, very grateful to the U.S. Secretary of ...

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Regions: India , Iran , Iraq , Nigeria , Syria , Turkey , United Kingdom , United States

Topics: Countering Terrorism, Human Rights and Democracy, Refugee and Humanitarian Assistance

Remarks John Kerry Secretary of State ExCeL Conference Center London, United Kingdom June 13, 2014 SECRETARY KERRY: Thank you very much. William, thank you very, very much. Ladies and gentlemen, distinguished guests all, and particularly my colleagues in government, I know that we all share – I must say I’ve been listening for a little while and able to watch a few of the videos and hear a few of the comments. And before I came in here, William shared with me some of the extraordinary events...

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Regions: France , Italy , Kenya , Syria , Uganda , United Kingdom , United States

Topics: Energy, Human Rights and Democracy, Refugee and Humanitarian Assistance, Science, Technology, and Innovation, Treaties and International Agreements

Press Statement John Kerry Secretary of State Washington, DC December 15, 2013 The United States remains deeply concerned over the fate of Sombath Somphone, one of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic’s most respected civil society figures, on the one-year anniversary of his abduction. Sombath was abducted on the evening of December 15, 2012, from a Lao police checkpoint in Vientiane. This deplorable event was recorded on Lao Government surveillance cameras. Our thoughts are with Sombath&rsq...

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Regions: Laos , United States

Topics: Economic Prosperity and Trade Policy, Human Rights and Democracy

Press Statement John Kerry Secretary of State Washington, DC December 12, 2013 On behalf of President Obama and the people of the United States, I extend my warm congratulations to Juan Orlando Hernandez on his election as President of the Republic of Honduras. The Honduran people turned out in record numbers to vote on November 24, and we commend the Honduran Government for ensuring that the election process was generally transparent, peaceful, and reflected the will of the Honduran people. Honduras&rs...

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Regions: Honduras , United States

Topics: Human Rights and Democracy

Press Statement John Kerry Secretary of State Washington, DC December 10, 2013 Around the world, the fundamental struggle for dignity – for economic justice, political freedom, and personal expression – continues every day and in many forms. I’ve seen firsthand what can happen when we work together to change things for the better. As a young Senator visiting Manila, I saw tears of joy in the eyes of a Filipino woman who emerged from a voting booth casting her ballot for the first time ...

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Regions: Afghanistan, Belarus , China, United Kingdom , United States

Topics: Human Rights and Democracy

Remarks John Kerry Secretary of State Organization of American States Washington, DC November 18, 2013 Mr. Secretary-General, thank you very, very much. Thank you for a wonderful welcome on this absolutely beautiful, luscious, seductive fall day, as pretty as it gets, and one that’s quickly prompting all of us to ask why we’re at work today. I’m privileged to be here. I want to thank the Inter-American Dialogue. Thank you, Michael Shifter, and thank you, Ambassador Deborah-Mae Lovell f...

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Regions: Argentina, Brazil , Canada , Chile, China, Colombia , Cuba , Guatemala , Honduras , India , Mexico , Panama , Peru , United Kingdom , United States , Venezuela , Western Hemisphere

Topics: Climate and Environment, Combating Drugs and Crime, Economic Prosperity and Trade Policy, Energy, Global Health, Human Rights and Democracy, Science, Technology, and Innovation

Remarks John Kerry Secretary of State Georgetown University Washington, DC November 15, 2013 Thank you. Thank you, Hillary. Thank you very much. Thank you very much, Hillary, for a very, very generous introduction. And thank you most of all for the remarkable work that you have done. I think you’re over here, Hillary. Here we go. (Laughter.) Get you over there. That’s my job, seat the former First Lady/Secretary. (Laughter.) What a pleasure to be here, and distinguished members of the diplom...

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Regions: Afghanistan, United Kingdom , United States

Topics: Countering Terrorism, Economic Prosperity and Trade Policy, Energy, Global Women's Issues, Human Rights and Democracy

Press Statement John Kerry Secretary of State Washington, DC October 27, 2013 Freedom of religion is a core American value, but it is not an American invention. It is the birthright of every individual, enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The freedom of religion is a priority for President Obama, as it is for me as Secretary of State, because it is essential to human dignity and individual liberty, and it remains an integral part of our global diplomatic engagement. We call on the in...

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Regions: United States

Topics: Human Rights and Democracy

Remarks John Kerry Secretary of State Washington, DC October 9, 2013 On behalf of President Obama and the people of the United States, I congratulate the people of Uganda as you celebrate the 51 st anniversary of your independence on October 9. On this day, we recognize and applaud the progress Uganda has achieved since its independence. Uganda and the United States enjoy a strong partnership, rooted in our shared commitment to achieving a prosperous, healthy, and democratic Uganda at the heart of a pea...

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Regions: Somalia , Uganda , United States

Topics: Human Rights and Democracy

Remarks John Kerry Secretary of State Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu New York City September 27, 2013 SECRETARY KERRY: Well, good morning. Thank you all very, very much for joining us here at this counterterrorism forum. We’re very grateful to all of you for taking time. I’m delighted to welcome you to New York for the Fourth Ministerial Meeting of the Global Counterterrorism Forum. And before we begin, I just want to say a couple of words about the recent attacks in Nairobi and Pe...

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Regions: Canada , Kenya , Mali , Malta , Pakistan , Saudi Arabia , Turkey , United Kingdom , United States

Topics: Countering Terrorism, Human Rights and Democracy, Refugee and Humanitarian Assistance

Remarks John Kerry Secretary of State New York City September 26, 2013 Well, thank you very much (inaudible). Thank you, and I apologize to all of my colleagues for being a little bit late. I’m sorry about that. But it is an enormous honor to be part of this event, which is the first of its kind in the history of the United Nations, and I think we should take pride in that. I thank the Foreign Minister of the Netherlands, who I visited with in Washington just last week, and all of our colleagues w...

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Regions: Colombia , France , Norway , Sweden , United States

Topics: Human Rights and Democracy

Remarks John Kerry Secretary of State Itamaraty Palace Brasilia, Brazil August 13, 2013 This video is available on YouTube with closed captions. FOREIGN MINISTER PATRIOTA: (Via interpreter) I was mentioning that he has a good knowledge of Portuguese in function of Mrs. Teresa Kerry. She’s also Portuguese. But I would like to say that we had a meeting, a working meeting, this morning in this, which is the first visit of Secretary of State John Kerry to Brazil, to South America actually. He had a st...

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Regions: Argentina, Brazil , Israel , Syria , United Kingdom , United States

Topics: Arms Control and Nonproliferation, Climate and Environment, Countering Terrorism, Economic Prosperity and Trade Policy, Energy, Global Health, Human Rights and Democracy, Refugee and Humanitarian Assistance, Science, Technology, and Innovation

Remarks John Kerry    Secretary of State Shaun Casey    Special Representative for Religion and Global Affairs  Melissa Rogers, Director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships Washington, DC August 7, 2013 The video is available with closed captioning on YouTube. SECRETARY KERRY: Thank you very much. Good morning, everybody. Please be seated. Thank you very, very much. Sorry to be a moment late. I apologize. Really delighted to be here this m...

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Regions: Egypt , Peru , United Kingdom , United States

Topics: Climate and Environment, Global Health, Human Rights and Democracy, Refugee and Humanitarian Assistance

Remarks John Kerry Secretary of State U.S. Embassy London London, United Kingdom August 2, 2013 The video is available with closed captioning on YouTube. SECRETARY KERRY: Thank you. Well, thanks for gathering, I know on relatively short notice. I really appreciate it. One of the – first of all, it’s great to be in London, and thank you for all of you here. How many of you are Embassy? You all raise your hands. How many are consular section? A few. Most of them I left behind in the consular s...

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Regions: United Kingdom , United States

Topics: Human Rights and Democracy

Press Statement John Kerry Secretary of State Washington, DC July 27, 2013 I spoke yesterday with South Sudan President Salva Kiir Mayardit to reiterate the United States’ concerns about the political situation in Juba, as well as the deeply disturbing violence and worsening humanitarian crisis in Jonglei State. I urged President Kiir to form a new government quickly and transparently in a manner that respects South Sudan’s Transitional Constitution, and in a way that also reflects the diver...

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Regions: Sudan , United States

Topics: Human Rights and Democracy, Refugee and Humanitarian Assistance

Press Statement John Kerry Secretary of State Washington, DC July 9, 2013 On behalf of President Obama and the people of the United States, we extend our best wishes to the people of the Republic of South Sudan on the second anniversary of your independence. I will never forget the moment I shared with the people of South Sudan as the world witnessed the birth of a new nation. I saw long lines of people waiting for hours, reveling in the privilege of voting for their freedom. When I mentioned to some vo...

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Regions: Sudan , United States

Topics: Human Rights and Democracy

Remarks John Kerry Secretary of State Ministry of Foreign Affairs Kuwait City, Kuwait June 26, 2013 DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER SABAH: (In Arabic.) SECRETARY KERRY: Thank you very much, Your Excellency. Thank you for your welcome, your generous welcome. And I also want to thank His Highness, the Amir, Sheikh Ahmad al-Sabah, and His Highness, the Prime Minister, Sheikh Jabir al-Mubarak al-Sabah. We’re very grateful for the welcome here. I want thank the Amir for his very longstanding and steadfast suppor...

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Regions: China, Egypt , France , Hong Kong , Iran , Israel , Jordan , Kuwait , Lebanon , Libya , Syria , United Kingdom , United States

Topics: Countering Terrorism, Economic Prosperity and Trade Policy, Human Rights and Democracy, Refugee and Humanitarian Assistance, Treaties and International Agreements

Remarks John Kerry Secretary of State Dean Acheson Auditorium Washington, DC June 19, 2013 The video is also available with closed captioning on YouTube. SECRETARY KERRY: Thank you very much. Thank you. (Applause.) Thank you. Thank you. Please, please, please, please. Thank you. (Applause.) Thank you very, very much. Ken, thank you for a generous welcome. Thank you all. Secretary Pat Kennedy and Director General Linda Thomas-Greenfield, thank you for being here, and others. We appreciate it. Tara, every...

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Regions: France , Norway , United Kingdom , United States

Topics: Human Rights and Democracy, Refugee and Humanitarian Assistance

Remarks John Kerry Secretary of State Embassy Guatemala Antigua, Guatemala June 5, 2013 AMBASSADOR CHACON: Good morning, everyone, Mission Guatemala. I have the easiest job this morning. I get to introduce a man who needs no introduction. Secretary Kerry, our 68 th Secretary of State, has a long and distinguished record of service to our nation. You represented the great state of Massachusetts for 29 years, serving and later chairing the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Secretary Kerry, I have a terr...

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Regions: Guatemala , Spain , United Kingdom , United States

Topics: Human Rights and Democracy

Remarks John Kerry Secretary of State Antigua, Guatemala June 5, 2013 Thank you very much. Let me begin by thanking President Perez Molina and Foreign Minister Carrera, Secretary General Insulza, and Assistant Secretary General Ramdin for hosting us here in beautiful Antigua. It’s a pleasure for me to be back here in the former capital of Guatemala, obviously an ancient city with endless charm that welcomes all of us here and impresses all of us, I might add. It’s a fitting tribute to the sp...

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Regions: Guatemala , Mexico , United States , Western Hemisphere

Topics: Combating Drugs and Crime, Countering Terrorism, Global Health, Human Rights and Democracy, Science, Technology, and Innovation

Press Availability John Kerry Secretary of State Antigua, Guatemala June 5, 2013 SECRETARY KERRY: Well, good afternoon. First, I want to make a comment about an event in Washington. President Obama, I believe, has made a terrific set of appointments in naming Ambassador Susan Rice to be the new National Security Advisor and in nominating Samantha Power to serve as our next Ambassador to the United Nations. They are both extremely capable and very, very respected public servants, and strong foreign polic...

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Regions: Canada , Colombia , France , Guatemala , Mexico , Nicaragua , United States , Venezuela

Topics: Climate and Environment, Combating Drugs and Crime, Countering Terrorism, Economic Prosperity and Trade Policy, Energy, Human Rights and Democracy, Science, Technology, and Innovation

Remarks John Kerry Secretary of State Grand Hyatt Hotel Washington, DC June 3, 2013 The video is available with closed captioning on YouTube. SECRETARY KERRY: Thank you. Thank you very, very much. Thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you all. Thank you for a wonderful, warm welcome here at AJC. And thank you, Bob, for that wonderful introduction. Thank you for your more than four decades of extraordinary service to the AJC, including the last three years as president. I understand that in order to meet m...

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Regions: Brazil , China, Egypt , Iran , Israel , Jordan , New Zealand , United Kingdom , United States , West Bank

Topics: Countering Terrorism, Energy, Human Rights and Democracy, Refugee and Humanitarian Assistance, Science, Technology, and Innovation, Treaties and International Agreements

Remarks John Kerry Secretary of State Treaty Room Washington, DC June 3, 2013 The video is also available with closed captioning on YouTube. SECRETARY KERRY: Good morning, everybody. I’ve got two comments I want to make at the top here before welcoming Foreign Minister Sikorski as I will and want to, and then look forward to your questions on that. But this morning, I’m thinking, as all of us from the Senate family are, of the passing of one of our own, Senator Frank Lautenberg. I was privil...

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Regions: Afghanistan, Belarus , Iran , Iraq , Israel , Lebanon , Poland , Russia , Syria , Turkey , Ukraine , United Kingdom , United States

Topics: Climate and Environment, Countering Terrorism, Economic Prosperity and Trade Policy, Energy, Global Health, Human Rights and Democracy, Refugee and Humanitarian Assistance, Science, Technology, and Innovation, Treaties and International Agreements

Remarks John Kerry Secretary of State George P. Shultz National Foreign Affairs Training Center Arlington, VA May 20, 2013 The video is available with closed captioning on YouTube SECRETARY KERRY: Thank you very much. I know you’re really upset that I came here to break the normal monotony and routine of this seminar. There will be no test, but I’m really happy to spend a few minutes with you. And Nancy, thank you very much, Madam Ambassador, for your wonderful stewardship of the FSI. You&rs...

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Regions: Afghanistan, France , Japan , Morocco , Spain , Tunisia , United Kingdom , United States

Topics: Countering Terrorism, Economic Prosperity and Trade Policy, Human Rights and Democracy

Press Statement John Kerry Secretary of State Washington, DC April 30, 2013 The video is available with closed captioning on YouTube . It's my great pleasure to congratulate all of you -- the committed men and women of the Anti-Defamation League -- on the ADL's remarkable 100 years of service to our nation and to the world. I'm genuinely sorry that I couldn't join you in person, I would love to be there, but I send my best wishes for a successful summit and a landmark centennial year. An...

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Regions: Israel , United Kingdom

Topics: Human Rights and Democracy

Remarks John Kerry Secretary of State Press Briefing Room Washington, DC April 19, 2013 The video below is available with closed captioning on YouTube. Good afternoon, everybody. Some people asked whether or not we might postpone this today because of all of what is going on. But we thought that on the contrary, that it’s a part of human rights to make clear that people have the right to run in a marathon without violence, and people have a right to enjoy a holiday without terror, and that the rig...

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Regions: Burma , Egypt , United Kingdom , United States

Topics: Human Rights and Democracy

Remarks John Kerry Secretary of State Treaty Room Washington, DC April 19, 2013 The video below is available with closed captioning on YouTube. SECRETARY KERRY:   Good morning, everybody. Before we begin (cough) – excuse me, allergy season. Before we begin, I just want to say that, as a father and a grandfather, my thoughts are, of course, in my hometown right now, Boston, where events are still unfolding and the entire city is on lockdown. We’re continuing to learn more every moment ab...

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Regions: China, Japan , Mexico , Russia , United States

Topics: Climate and Environment, Countering Terrorism, Economic Prosperity and Trade Policy, Global Health, Human Rights and Democracy, Science, Technology, and Innovation, Treaties and International Agreements

Remarks John Kerry Secretary of State Tokyo Institute of Technology Tokyo, Japan April 15, 2013 SECRETARY KERRY: Thank you very, very much. Thank you very much, President Mishima, for a generous introduction. It's a great privilege for me to be here. Thank you. And thank you all for coming to share some thoughts this morning. I understand that Tokyo Tech has been referred to as Japan’s M.I.T. So even halfway around the world from Boston, I feel very much at home, and thank you. (Applause.) I h...

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Regions: Burma , China, India , Japan , Korea, North , Korea, South , Philippines , United Kingdom , United States , Vietnam

Topics: Arms Control and Nonproliferation, Climate and Environment, Economic Prosperity and Trade Policy, Energy, Global Health, Human Rights and Democracy, Science, Technology, and Innovation