Remarks
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State
Goldman Sachs Tower
Jersey City, NJ
June 24, 2012

Well it is truly my pleasure to join you. I regret very much that I was unable to be with you at dinner last night, but I thank the hosts for being willing to let me come this afternoon to congratulate you on this, the 17^th U.S.-Spain Council Forum. I’ve been given an excellent report about all the activities by His Royal Highness. And I welcome him and Her Royal Highness here back to the United States. Also, all of our guests from the Spanish Government, including the Spanish Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Development, Ana Pastor, and all of our colleagues. Let me certainly thank my colleague in the Cabinet, Secretary Ray LaHood, who has brought his experience and his passion to the work of transportation and infrastructure to our country’s leadership, and I’m very grateful to serve with him.

About the Author: Ivo Daalder serves as U.S. Ambassador to NATO.

At the just-concluded NATO Summit in Chicago, the largest gathering of NATO nations and partners since the Alliance was founded, we delivered on the promises we made at our historic Lisbon Summit 18 months earlier.

First of all, we added details to the Lisbon roadmap for how we will gradually and responsibly wind down the NATO mission in Afghanistan. By the middle of 2013, every district and province in Afghanistan will have Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) in the lead for security, with NATO forces in a supporting role. By the end of 2014, the Afghans will be fully responsible for their own security, and the NATO-led combat mission will come to an end. But our engagement in Afghanistan will continue after 2014, with a new mission focused on training and advising the Afghan forces.

Second, even in this fiscally austere time, NATO leaders agreed to… more »

About the Author: Ann Stock serves as Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs.

Last week, I visited Spain’s beautiful capital city, meeting with the Department of State’s partners in culture, education, and civil service. The U.S. Embassy in Madrid has been an innovative public diplomacy presence abroad, and it was exciting to see the staff’s fine work firsthand.

My first stop was Embassy Madrid’s first-ever Service Innovation Summit. With help from the Rafael del Pino Foundation, the Meridian International Center and passionate… more »

Trip Page | Photos

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton met today with Spanish Foreign Minister Trinidad Jimenez in Madrid. After their meeting, Secretary Clinton said:

“Thank you so very much, Trini, for those warm words, and also for the excellent working relationship that we have. And the meeting we just completed demonstrated that once again. It was a wide-ranging, comprehensive discussion of so many of the important issues, not only the bilateral issues, but regional and global issues, as well. And it underscores the enduring relationship between the United States and Spain.

“We are very grateful that the ties between our two nations… more »

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will travel to Budapest, Hungary, June 29, to participate in the dedication of the Lantos Institute. The establishment of the Lantos Institute has been supported by the Government of Hungary to promote Hungarian-born Congressman Tom Lantos’ long commitment to democratic principles and the protection of individual and human rights. Secretary Clinton will also meet with Prime Minister Orban, Foreign Minister Martonyi, and representatives of civil society while in Budapest.

Secretary Clinton will visit Vilnius, Lithuania, from June 30 to July 1, to participate in the Community of Democracies 6th Ministerial. The Ministerial will bring together senior government officials, parliamentarians, NGOs, women and youth leaders,… more »