WEBVTT 00:00.009 --> 00:02.120 Done . It looks like we have a pretty 00:02.120 --> 00:04.789 full full house today . Must be Monday . 00:06.030 --> 00:08.090 Good to see everyone . Um 00:09.689 --> 00:12.069 Earlier today , I sent a letter to all 00:12.079 --> 00:14.840 members of the Senate expressing my 00:14.850 --> 00:16.517 serious concern regarding the 00:16.517 --> 00:18.683 significant delays in confirming State 00:18.683 --> 00:21.090 Department nominees . As I made clear 00:21.100 --> 00:23.389 in the letter , these delays are 00:23.399 --> 00:25.639 undermining our national security and 00:25.649 --> 00:27.538 they are weakening our ability to 00:27.538 --> 00:29.649 deliver for the American people . Let 00:29.649 --> 00:31.780 me just start with the numbers at 00:31.790 --> 00:34.299 present . The State Department has more 00:34.310 --> 00:36.254 than 60 nominees with the Senate . 00:37.419 --> 00:40.610 38 have completed all the other steps 00:40.619 --> 00:42.675 and are on the Senate floor awaiting 00:42.675 --> 00:46.619 confirmation of those 38 35 00:46.630 --> 00:48.741 are career foreign service officers . 00:49.799 --> 00:51.966 Now that number is going to keep going 00:51.966 --> 00:54.229 up as more sitting ambassadors complete 00:54.240 --> 00:56.229 their tours , more nominees come 00:56.240 --> 00:58.900 forward by the end of the summer , we 00:58.909 --> 01:01.979 expect Egypt , Israel , Jordan and 01:01.990 --> 01:04.599 Lebanon will all be without confirmed . 01:04.610 --> 01:07.330 Us ambassadors , eight nominees are 01:07.339 --> 01:09.283 awaiting confirmation for post and 01:09.283 --> 01:11.506 African countries and it's not just the 01:11.506 --> 01:13.672 Middle East and Africa where we've got 01:13.672 --> 01:15.895 this problem . Ambassadorships are open 01:15.895 --> 01:18.239 in Asia in Europe , in Latin America as 01:18.250 --> 01:21.029 nominees await confirmation . So our 01:21.089 --> 01:23.580 key issue focused positions . Like for 01:23.589 --> 01:25.367 example , our counter terrorism 01:25.367 --> 01:28.209 coordinator during the current Congress , 01:28.250 --> 01:30.559 only five nominees have been confirmed 01:31.989 --> 01:33.878 in previous administrations . The 01:33.878 --> 01:35.656 overwhelming majority of career 01:35.656 --> 01:37.545 nominees receive swift support to 01:37.545 --> 01:39.767 advance through the Senate by unanimous 01:39.767 --> 01:42.599 consent today for reasons that have 01:42.610 --> 01:44.443 nothing to do with the nominee's 01:44.443 --> 01:46.610 qualifications or abilities . They are 01:46.610 --> 01:48.388 being forced to proceed through 01:48.388 --> 01:50.499 individual floor votes . Over a third 01:50.499 --> 01:52.499 of those nominees have been waiting 01:52.499 --> 01:54.499 approximately a year or more , some 01:54.499 --> 01:57.319 longer than 18 months . These 01:57.330 --> 01:59.900 nonpartisan public servants have served 01:59.910 --> 02:01.809 for decades across Republican and 02:01.819 --> 02:04.160 Democratic administrations . They 02:04.169 --> 02:06.319 represent our most skilled , our most 02:06.330 --> 02:09.438 seasoned diplomats . Their talents are 02:09.449 --> 02:11.298 the products of generations of 02:11.309 --> 02:14.889 investment by American taxpayers to 02:14.899 --> 02:17.160 defend us national security , to 02:17.169 --> 02:19.225 sustain and strengthen our alliances 02:19.225 --> 02:21.280 and partnerships around the world to 02:21.280 --> 02:23.169 ensure that our foreign policy is 02:23.169 --> 02:25.391 advancing the interests of the American 02:25.391 --> 02:27.613 people . We need our best possible team 02:27.613 --> 02:29.558 on the field by failing to confirm 02:29.558 --> 02:31.725 these nominees . A handful of senators 02:31.725 --> 02:33.725 are keeping our best players on the 02:33.725 --> 02:36.089 sidelines . Now I worked in the Senate 02:36.100 --> 02:38.279 for years . So of course , did 02:38.289 --> 02:41.210 President Biden ? I respect and value 02:41.220 --> 02:43.164 its critical oversight role . It's 02:43.164 --> 02:45.387 crucial in ensuring that we have highly 02:45.387 --> 02:47.553 qualified individuals representing the 02:47.553 --> 02:49.609 United States around the world , but 02:49.609 --> 02:51.776 that's not what is happening here . No 02:51.776 --> 02:53.887 one is questioning the qualifications 02:53.887 --> 02:55.887 of these career diplomats . They're 02:55.887 --> 02:57.942 being blocked from leverage on other 02:57.942 --> 03:00.053 unrelated issues . It's irresponsible 03:00.053 --> 03:02.053 and it's doing harm to our national 03:02.053 --> 03:04.149 security . Confirming these nominees 03:04.160 --> 03:07.089 matters . As every member of Congress 03:07.100 --> 03:09.279 knows our ambassadors are the face of 03:09.289 --> 03:11.289 the United States and the countries 03:11.289 --> 03:13.456 where they serve our leading advocates 03:13.456 --> 03:15.511 for and with foreign governments and 03:15.511 --> 03:18.679 citizens . We have extraordinarily 03:18.690 --> 03:20.912 dedicated and qualified career officers 03:20.912 --> 03:22.912 who are serving as charges in these 03:22.912 --> 03:25.079 countries where the positions are left 03:25.079 --> 03:27.079 open and I'm immensely grateful for 03:27.079 --> 03:29.190 their service . But all of them would 03:29.190 --> 03:31.246 tell you the same thing . There is a 03:31.246 --> 03:33.134 difference between a charge and a 03:33.134 --> 03:34.857 confirmed ambassador . Foreign 03:34.857 --> 03:37.079 governments know that ambassadors carry 03:37.079 --> 03:39.023 the full weight of the President , 03:39.023 --> 03:41.023 United States and the United States 03:41.023 --> 03:42.968 Senate . As a result , ambassadors 03:42.968 --> 03:45.190 often have greater access and influence 03:45.190 --> 03:47.134 where they , which they can use to 03:47.134 --> 03:49.301 advance the interests of our country . 03:49.301 --> 03:51.550 Here's who loses out when we don't have 03:51.559 --> 03:53.559 a US ambassador in place in a given 03:53.559 --> 03:55.281 country . American companies , 03:55.281 --> 03:57.503 investors and entrepreneurs who want to 03:57.503 --> 03:59.615 do business there . American citizens 03:59.615 --> 04:01.820 who live in that country or experience 04:01.830 --> 04:03.941 an emergency while they're overseas . 04:04.020 --> 04:06.020 American students who study there . 04:06.020 --> 04:08.550 American tourists who visit and the 04:08.559 --> 04:10.670 citizens of those countries who yearn 04:10.670 --> 04:12.839 for and benefit from deeper ties with 04:12.850 --> 04:15.072 the United States and with our people . 04:16.510 --> 04:18.950 Our department and the entire US 04:18.959 --> 04:21.968 government lose out as well . Not 04:21.979 --> 04:23.923 having a confirmed ambassador in a 04:23.923 --> 04:26.035 given country makes us less effective 04:26.035 --> 04:28.090 at advancing every one of our policy 04:28.090 --> 04:30.257 priorities from getting more countries 04:30.257 --> 04:32.257 to serve as temporary hubs for SI V 04:32.257 --> 04:34.479 processing to bringing on more partners 04:34.479 --> 04:36.646 from global coalitions like the one we 04:36.646 --> 04:38.701 just announced to combat fentaNYL to 04:38.701 --> 04:40.479 support competitive bids for us 04:40.479 --> 04:42.479 companies to build 560 networks and 04:42.479 --> 04:44.646 other critical infrastructure projects 04:44.646 --> 04:46.757 around the world . We also lose sight 04:46.757 --> 04:49.940 to the insights into countries that our 04:49.950 --> 04:52.140 ambassadors uniquely can develop 04:52.149 --> 04:54.260 through the unique relationships that 04:54.260 --> 04:56.205 they have at the highest levels of 04:56.205 --> 04:58.427 government , business , civil society . 04:58.899 --> 05:01.480 Now , here's who benefits from failing 05:01.489 --> 05:03.489 to fill these essential positions . 05:03.529 --> 05:06.119 America's adversaries only our 05:06.130 --> 05:08.297 adversaries who are constantly looking 05:08.297 --> 05:11.130 to exploit any weakness or any opening 05:11.220 --> 05:14.140 to their advantage . The refusal of the 05:14.149 --> 05:16.260 Senate to approve these career public 05:16.260 --> 05:17.871 servants also undermines the 05:17.871 --> 05:20.730 credibility of our democracy . People 05:20.739 --> 05:23.017 abroad see it as a sign of dysfunction , 05:23.017 --> 05:25.459 ineffectiveness , inability to put 05:25.470 --> 05:27.748 national interests over political ones . 05:28.720 --> 05:30.776 These unnecessary delays also weaken 05:30.776 --> 05:33.053 the state department as an institution , 05:33.053 --> 05:35.390 something I am charged with upholding 05:35.399 --> 05:37.799 and defending , they discourage highly 05:37.809 --> 05:40.031 qualified senior officers from pursuing 05:40.031 --> 05:42.253 ambassadorships because they don't want 05:42.253 --> 05:44.253 to put themselves or their families 05:44.253 --> 05:46.365 through this limbo with their careers 05:46.365 --> 05:48.531 and their lives put on hold as well as 05:48.531 --> 05:50.587 the lives of their spouses and their 05:50.587 --> 05:52.809 Children . These delays also discourage 05:52.809 --> 05:55.031 rising officers who see the pinnacle of 05:55.031 --> 05:56.809 a career in the foreign service 05:56.809 --> 05:59.829 increasingly closed off to them . It's 05:59.839 --> 06:01.783 strange credulity that some of the 06:01.783 --> 06:04.006 members of Congress calling most loudly 06:04.019 --> 06:06.130 for out competing . Our rivals are at 06:06.130 --> 06:08.186 the same time tying our hands behind 06:08.186 --> 06:11.230 our back . We cannot and we must not 06:11.239 --> 06:15.089 let this become the new normal , these 06:15.100 --> 06:17.267 men and women yearn to serve to do the 06:17.267 --> 06:19.322 jobs that they've been preparing for 06:19.322 --> 06:21.660 their entire careers . My message to 06:21.670 --> 06:23.820 the Senate today is this , let them 06:23.829 --> 06:26.480 serve , put our best team out on the 06:26.489 --> 06:28.959 field , stop harming our national 06:28.970 --> 06:31.250 security through unjustified delay and 06:31.260 --> 06:34.209 unprecedented obstruction . Let these 06:34.220 --> 06:36.331 nominees advance the interests of our 06:36.331 --> 06:38.442 nation , advance the interests of the 06:38.442 --> 06:41.420 American people . Thank you . Happy to 06:41.440 --> 06:45.079 take some questions on this . Uh Mr 06:45.089 --> 06:48.179 Secretary , welcome back by the way 06:49.279 --> 06:52.609 round the World Trip , uh just on , on 06:52.619 --> 06:56.339 the , on the Senate , um who is , who 06:56.350 --> 06:58.461 is being the most obstructionist here 06:58.461 --> 07:00.628 in , in terms of this . And then , and 07:00.628 --> 07:02.683 then secondly , on this , you know , 07:02.683 --> 07:04.961 you have more than 60 nominees , right ? 07:04.961 --> 07:07.072 But the Pentagon has got , you know , 07:07.072 --> 07:09.540 four times as many uh who are also 07:09.549 --> 07:13.299 being uh also being held up . Now , 07:13.309 --> 07:15.587 they're not ambassadorial appointments , 07:15.587 --> 07:17.753 some of them are just promotions but , 07:17.753 --> 07:19.865 but you know , why should you know if 07:19.865 --> 07:22.198 you're gonna , if you're gonna complain , 07:22.198 --> 07:24.087 couldn't uh the Senate Democratic 07:24.087 --> 07:26.769 leadership devote floor time to getting 07:26.779 --> 07:29.190 through these holes . Uh And then , and 07:29.200 --> 07:31.478 then on something completely different . 07:31.478 --> 07:33.589 I'm just wondering since the , the uh 07:33.589 --> 07:35.700 the Black Sea Grain initiative appear 07:35.700 --> 07:37.756 to die today , I'm just wondering if 07:37.756 --> 07:39.811 you think that the Russians have any 07:39.811 --> 07:42.910 argument at all ? No , that , ok . 07:44.000 --> 07:46.111 Um But I'm happy to come back to that 07:46.111 --> 07:49.470 look first on , on the nominations . So 07:49.480 --> 07:51.989 Senator Paul has a blanket hold on our 07:52.000 --> 07:55.200 nominees and there are additional holes 07:55.209 --> 07:57.209 that we're working through , but we 07:57.209 --> 07:59.619 have been working extensively with 07:59.630 --> 08:01.709 Senator Paul . We provided documents 08:01.720 --> 08:03.498 and other information that he's 08:03.498 --> 08:05.442 requested , but unfortunately , he 08:05.442 --> 08:07.720 continues to block all of our nominees . 08:07.720 --> 08:09.609 And again , the vast majority are 08:09.609 --> 08:12.329 career officers . Um There are other 08:12.339 --> 08:14.283 holes out there . I can't speak to 08:14.283 --> 08:16.339 their specifics , but I can tell you 08:16.339 --> 08:18.117 we're working directly with the 08:18.117 --> 08:20.339 officers concerned , but to try to work 08:20.339 --> 08:20.100 through them . You're right . There's , 08:20.109 --> 08:23.290 there , there are 62 nominees in the , 08:23.299 --> 08:25.410 in the process right now , of those , 08:25.410 --> 08:27.369 as I said , 38 are on the floor of 08:27.380 --> 08:30.630 those 35 are career officers . Now , we 08:30.640 --> 08:32.807 managed to get five people through and 08:32.809 --> 08:35.087 of the five people we got through four , 08:35.087 --> 08:37.031 we got through as a result of uh , 08:37.031 --> 08:39.142 Senator Schumer , moving them through 08:39.142 --> 08:41.142 the , uh , the process and taking a 08:41.142 --> 08:43.309 huge amount of time of Senate business 08:43.309 --> 08:45.365 to get , uh , to get folks confirmed 08:45.365 --> 08:47.420 with , uh , with votes . That is not 08:47.420 --> 08:49.476 the way it's been done in the past . 08:49.476 --> 08:51.753 It's not the way it should be done now , 08:51.753 --> 08:51.559 going forward , it ties up too much of 08:51.570 --> 08:53.292 the Senate's time and there is 08:53.292 --> 08:55.348 absolutely no justification for it . 08:55.348 --> 08:57.514 I'm grateful to Senator Schumer leader 08:57.514 --> 08:59.626 Schumer for uh , for doing this , but 08:59.626 --> 09:01.570 that's not , not the way it should 09:01.570 --> 09:03.737 happen . And at the rate we're going , 09:03.737 --> 09:06.169 even if you decided to give floor time 09:06.599 --> 09:08.543 to every single one , there is not 09:08.543 --> 09:10.766 enough floor time to get through all of 09:10.766 --> 09:12.988 these nominees and never mind doing the 09:12.988 --> 09:15.266 other business of the uh of the nation . 09:15.266 --> 09:17.432 Um And of course , we're in very close 09:17.432 --> 09:19.655 contact with our colleagues in , in dod 09:19.655 --> 09:21.766 uh working through this and certainly 09:21.766 --> 09:24.239 there's been a lot of focus on uh their , 09:24.250 --> 09:26.460 their uh nominees or promotion lists 09:26.619 --> 09:28.979 and , and that too is absolutely 09:28.989 --> 09:31.156 detrimental to our national security . 09:31.919 --> 09:34.141 Just one other thing you mentioned that 09:34.141 --> 09:36.141 Israel , Egypt , Jordan and Lebanon 09:36.141 --> 09:38.252 won't have by the end of the summer . 09:38.252 --> 09:40.419 That's right . I wasn't aware that has 09:40.419 --> 09:42.641 the White House nominated a replacement 09:42.641 --> 09:44.697 for . I come back to you with all of 09:44.697 --> 09:46.919 the folks that we've nominated or about 09:46.919 --> 09:49.141 to be nominated . Um Depending on so on 09:49.141 --> 09:51.252 the Black Sea Grain initiative . Look 09:51.252 --> 09:51.159 first , it's really important to put 09:51.169 --> 09:53.960 this in perspective . Of course , never 09:53.969 --> 09:56.191 should have been necessary in the first 09:56.191 --> 09:58.080 place . The only reason it became 09:58.080 --> 10:00.080 necessary is because Russia invaded 10:00.080 --> 10:02.136 Ukraine and then decided to blockade 10:02.136 --> 10:02.010 the ports and prevent Ukraine from 10:02.020 --> 10:04.187 sending grain around the world as it's 10:04.187 --> 10:06.242 done for years . It's been the bread 10:06.242 --> 10:08.489 basket of the world . So as a result of 10:08.500 --> 10:11.119 that Turkey , the United Nations , as 10:11.130 --> 10:12.963 you know , the Secretary General 10:12.963 --> 10:15.186 negotiated this arrangement , the Black 10:15.186 --> 10:17.352 Sea Grain initiative to at least allow 10:17.352 --> 10:17.200 the grain and other food products to 10:17.210 --> 10:19.154 get out of Ukraine and on to world 10:19.154 --> 10:21.609 markets . And that's had a tremendously 10:21.619 --> 10:24.179 positive benefit . Um Something like 32 10:24.190 --> 10:26.134 million tons of food products have 10:26.134 --> 10:28.301 gotten out . It's the equivalent of 18 10:28.301 --> 10:30.523 billion , 18 billion loaves of bread in 10:30.523 --> 10:32.523 the roughly one year that the grain 10:32.523 --> 10:34.412 initiative has been in effect and 10:34.412 --> 10:36.579 that's done two things . It's actually 10:36.579 --> 10:38.746 gotten food onto people's plates . But 10:38.746 --> 10:40.523 even when the food wasn't going 10:40.523 --> 10:42.357 directly to certain countries or 10:42.357 --> 10:44.579 certain people , it also was helping to 10:44.579 --> 10:44.140 keep prices low because it's a global 10:44.150 --> 10:46.200 market . So the result of Russia's 10:46.210 --> 10:48.760 action today , weaponizing food , using 10:48.770 --> 10:50.770 it as a tool as a weapon in its war 10:50.770 --> 10:53.590 against Ukraine will be to make food 10:53.599 --> 10:55.432 harder to come by in places that 10:55.432 --> 10:57.432 desperately need it and have prices 10:57.432 --> 10:59.640 rise . We're already seeing the market 10:59.650 --> 11:02.580 react to this as prices are going up . 11:04.159 --> 11:06.437 The bottom line is it's unconscionable , 11:06.437 --> 11:09.130 it should not happen , this should be 11:09.140 --> 11:11.929 restored as quickly as possible . And I 11:11.940 --> 11:14.130 hope that every country is watching 11:14.140 --> 11:16.859 this very closely . They will see that 11:16.869 --> 11:19.599 Russia is responsible for denying food 11:19.609 --> 11:21.665 to people who are desperately needed 11:21.665 --> 11:24.090 around the world and to contribute to 11:24.099 --> 11:26.440 rising prices at a time when many 11:26.450 --> 11:28.561 countries continue to experience very 11:28.561 --> 11:29.783 difficult inflation . 11:32.630 --> 11:34.574 Well , thank you so much . Just uh 11:34.574 --> 11:36.797 following up on the uh Matt's Black Sea 11:36.797 --> 11:39.070 question if I may . Um it would it be 11:39.080 --> 11:41.469 possible for Turkey the US or some 11:41.479 --> 11:43.799 other partner countries to provide any 11:43.809 --> 11:45.989 other sort of guarantee , formal or 11:46.000 --> 11:48.460 informal that would help get grain bulk 11:48.469 --> 11:50.729 carriers from the Ukrainian coast 11:50.739 --> 11:52.906 through the bosphorus and is there any 11:52.906 --> 11:55.419 broad effort under way to ensure 11:55.429 --> 11:57.707 freedom of navigation in the Black Sea ? 11:57.707 --> 11:59.762 Which is what the US insists upon in 11:59.762 --> 12:01.985 many of the other seas around the world 12:02.030 --> 12:04.369 and linked to that is the Kurt bridge 12:04.380 --> 12:07.179 question . The there was a bombing at 12:07.190 --> 12:09.246 the Kur bridge and just wondering if 12:09.246 --> 12:11.301 the uh Russia says naval drones were 12:11.301 --> 12:13.429 responsible for those from Ukraine ? 12:13.440 --> 12:16.429 And does the US support that ? Uh So we 12:16.440 --> 12:19.409 back on the lexy green issue first . Um 12:19.419 --> 12:23.299 Look the Ukrainians and we others will , 12:23.309 --> 12:25.253 will look at whether there are any 12:25.253 --> 12:27.150 other options . But uh the the 12:27.159 --> 12:30.859 challenge is this if Russia is ending 12:30.869 --> 12:34.510 this initiative and sending a message 12:34.979 --> 12:37.489 that grain and other food products 12:37.500 --> 12:41.070 cannot leave Ukraine unimpeded , 12:41.229 --> 12:43.229 even if there are other options , I 12:43.229 --> 12:46.229 think it will likely have a profound 12:46.239 --> 12:48.128 chilling effect on the ability to 12:48.128 --> 12:51.520 pursue them as other countries , 12:51.530 --> 12:53.719 companies , shippers , et cetera will 12:53.729 --> 12:56.510 be very concerned about what happens to 12:56.520 --> 12:59.719 their ships and to their personnel . 12:59.809 --> 13:03.690 If Russia is opposing any export 13:03.700 --> 13:05.700 of food products from Ukraine , the 13:05.700 --> 13:07.960 whole point of this was to have a 13:07.969 --> 13:10.080 voluntary agreement that involved all 13:10.080 --> 13:12.929 of the relevant parties that was 13:12.940 --> 13:15.820 endorsed by the , by the United Nations 13:16.130 --> 13:18.960 to make sure that there was safety , 13:18.969 --> 13:21.479 security predictability in moving food 13:21.489 --> 13:23.545 out of Ukraine into places that were 13:23.545 --> 13:25.767 desperately in need of it . So , in the 13:25.767 --> 13:27.989 absence of that , I think , yes , we'll 13:27.989 --> 13:30.045 look to see what else can be done to 13:30.045 --> 13:32.156 find other ways to get Ukrainian food 13:32.156 --> 13:33.878 products on the world market , 13:33.878 --> 13:35.711 including again , moving as , as 13:35.711 --> 13:37.933 Ukraine has already been doing , moving 13:37.933 --> 13:40.045 things out through rail and by road . 13:40.045 --> 13:42.267 But in terms of the volumes necessary , 13:42.570 --> 13:44.869 it's really hard to replace what's now 13:44.880 --> 13:46.713 being lost as a result of Russia 13:46.713 --> 13:50.400 weaponizing food on the Kur bridge . 13:50.559 --> 13:53.510 This is a situation that we're 13:53.520 --> 13:57.280 monitoring and I don't really have 13:57.400 --> 13:59.733 anything in particular to offer on that . 13:59.733 --> 14:02.067 Just I can say as a general proposition , 14:02.067 --> 14:04.440 of course , Ukraine has to decide how 14:04.450 --> 14:07.289 it conducts this war in defense of its 14:07.530 --> 14:10.940 territory , its people , its freedom . 14:11.929 --> 14:13.873 And finally the back of the room , 14:13.873 --> 14:16.780 Michelle a question on China because 14:16.789 --> 14:19.080 China is already raising concerns about 14:19.359 --> 14:22.820 a future stopped by the Taiwanese Vice 14:22.830 --> 14:24.997 President . I wonder if you're worried 14:24.997 --> 14:26.719 at all that that's going to um 14:26.719 --> 14:28.774 undermine the progress that you feel 14:28.774 --> 14:30.941 you've made . Um putting a floor under 14:30.941 --> 14:33.052 that relationship and real quickly on 14:33.052 --> 14:34.941 passports because that's a common 14:34.941 --> 14:36.774 concern that you're hearing from 14:36.774 --> 14:38.941 members of Congress and Americans . Um 14:38.941 --> 14:40.997 What's it gonna take to speed up the 14:40.997 --> 14:43.669 process ? Uh Second part first , uh I 14:43.679 --> 14:45.790 was just uh I guess about three weeks 14:45.790 --> 14:47.901 ago visiting our passport office in , 14:47.901 --> 14:49.846 in New York , the largest passport 14:49.846 --> 14:53.090 office that uh that we have and saw the 14:53.099 --> 14:55.559 operation first hand and saw people 14:55.570 --> 14:57.792 working overtime , double time , triple 14:57.792 --> 14:59.929 time to get blue books into people's 14:59.940 --> 15:03.609 hands . The demand for passports is 15:03.619 --> 15:05.675 greater than it's ever been . As you 15:05.675 --> 15:07.786 know , we basically had to build back 15:07.786 --> 15:10.008 up from zero because when COVID hit the 15:10.008 --> 15:11.952 bottom , dropped out of the entire 15:11.952 --> 15:14.119 program to issue passports here in the 15:14.119 --> 15:16.063 United States or to issue visas to 15:16.063 --> 15:17.952 those seeking to visit the United 15:17.952 --> 15:20.008 States . And so we have been working 15:20.008 --> 15:22.063 very hard to , to build , build that 15:22.063 --> 15:24.175 back up to bring people in , to train 15:24.175 --> 15:25.897 them to make sure that we were 15:25.897 --> 15:27.897 dedicating the resources to it . We 15:27.897 --> 15:29.897 will issue more passports this year 15:29.897 --> 15:32.063 than in any previous year . But that's 15:32.063 --> 15:34.008 just a reflection of the fact that 15:34.008 --> 15:36.175 demand is higher than it's ever been . 15:36.175 --> 15:38.397 And we're throwing everything we can at 15:38.397 --> 15:40.452 this trying to make sure that people 15:40.452 --> 15:42.341 have those rule books that , that 15:42.341 --> 15:44.397 they're able to travel and something 15:44.397 --> 15:46.452 that comes up repeatedly with , with 15:46.452 --> 15:48.675 members of congress , with folks that I 15:48.675 --> 15:50.897 come across . So what I can tell you is 15:50.897 --> 15:53.119 that we can get you the actual number , 15:53.119 --> 15:55.119 but there is unprecedented demand . 15:55.119 --> 15:57.119 There's an unprecedented effort and 15:57.119 --> 15:59.286 we're trying to do our best in getting 15:59.286 --> 16:01.397 people their passports . Um on the um 16:02.030 --> 16:04.349 the potential transit of Vice President 16:04.469 --> 16:07.520 of Taiwan , we expect that he will 16:07.530 --> 16:11.150 transit the United States on both the 16:11.159 --> 16:13.440 incoming and outgoing legs of a trip 16:13.450 --> 16:16.010 that he plans to take to Paraguay for 16:16.020 --> 16:19.849 the inauguration in Paraguay . This 16:19.859 --> 16:22.010 is very routine given the distances 16:22.020 --> 16:24.409 traveled to have to have a transit 16:24.419 --> 16:28.179 point and it is fully consistent and 16:28.190 --> 16:31.059 common practice . If you go back , 10 16:31.109 --> 16:33.559 vice presidents from Taiwan have 16:33.570 --> 16:35.459 transited over the past couple of 16:35.459 --> 16:38.520 decades . This will be the 11 th and 16:38.530 --> 16:40.697 actually the second for Vice President 16:40.697 --> 16:43.989 Lai , there is no reason for the PR C 16:44.000 --> 16:46.299 to use this transit as a pretext for 16:46.309 --> 16:48.630 provocative action . We are committed 16:48.640 --> 16:50.696 to preserving peace and stability in 16:50.696 --> 16:52.751 the Taiwan Strait . It's critical to 16:52.751 --> 16:54.862 regional and for that matter , global 16:54.862 --> 16:57.440 security as well as prosperity . And as 16:57.450 --> 17:00.369 I've been able to share repeatedly with 17:00.380 --> 17:02.380 now with our Chinese counterparts , 17:02.380 --> 17:04.380 including just last week when I met 17:04.380 --> 17:06.269 with Wang Yi , the senior foreign 17:06.269 --> 17:09.119 policy official , we have no desire to 17:09.130 --> 17:11.130 change the status quo in the Taiwan 17:11.130 --> 17:13.420 straits . Our policy hasn't changed . 17:13.510 --> 17:15.709 We fully expect that neither side will 17:15.719 --> 17:17.941 unilaterally change the status quo . We 17:17.941 --> 17:19.941 fully expect that everyone involved 17:19.941 --> 17:22.275 will resolve any differences peacefully . 17:22.275 --> 17:24.579 And again , this transit is fully 17:24.589 --> 17:27.489 consistent uh with uh with that policy . 17:29.109 --> 17:32.339 Thank you . And now the main act , 17:38.890 --> 17:40.890 I don't know about the main act . I 17:40.890 --> 17:44.400 will do my best . Um Matt , 17:44.680 --> 17:46.847 let's start anything further or , or I 17:46.847 --> 17:48.902 free to go . Well , I'm just curious 17:48.902 --> 17:50.847 because you know , when , when the 17:50.847 --> 17:53.180 secretary said by the end of the summer , 17:53.180 --> 17:55.402 you won't have confirmed ambassadors in 17:55.402 --> 17:57.569 Egypt , Israel Jordan or Lebanon . But 17:57.569 --> 18:00.829 uh I , I don't think unless I'm wrong 18:00.839 --> 18:03.061 and please correct me if I'm wrong that 18:03.061 --> 18:05.283 there has been anyone even nominated to 18:05.283 --> 18:08.189 replace the point he was making is that 18:08.199 --> 18:09.750 we have , we had no , 18:11.660 --> 18:15.430 if , if , if we had a nominee today , 18:16.670 --> 18:19.219 if that nominee would still face the 18:19.229 --> 18:21.285 same blanket hold after that nominee 18:21.285 --> 18:23.396 went through the Senate , the regular 18:23.396 --> 18:25.507 process still saying the blanket hold 18:25.507 --> 18:27.729 has the White House nominated . We have 18:27.729 --> 18:29.785 not yet nominated but if you look at 18:29.785 --> 18:29.680 the number of no , let me finish . If 18:29.689 --> 18:31.745 you look at the the , if you look at 18:31.745 --> 18:34.022 the situation as it exists , currently , 18:34.022 --> 18:36.133 all the nominees that start today are 18:36.133 --> 18:37.967 still backlogged based on what's 18:37.967 --> 18:40.022 happening in the floor . There's a , 18:40.022 --> 18:42.078 there is a , a huge backlog . Yeah , 18:42.078 --> 18:43.800 debating that point . I'm just 18:43.800 --> 18:47.520 wondering if , if far have there been 18:47.630 --> 18:50.439 people nominated for those , for those 18:50.449 --> 18:52.890 four posts ? We have , I don't have the 18:52.900 --> 18:56.140 full one of them has been , but 18:56.290 --> 18:58.380 certainly no one for Israel . That's 18:58.390 --> 19:00.279 right . Well , the ambassador for 19:00.279 --> 19:02.334 Israel just stepped down in the last 19:02.334 --> 19:03.239 two weeks . So 19:08.650 --> 19:10.969 I would be more than happy to withdraw 19:10.979 --> 19:13.146 the complaint if the Senate decides to 19:13.146 --> 19:15.035 start moving on . Our ambassadors 19:15.035 --> 19:16.701 expeditious , our ambassadors 19:16.701 --> 19:18.812 expeditiously and we can count on the 19:18.812 --> 19:20.701 ambassador to nominate nominee to 19:20.701 --> 19:22.757 Israel to be moved through unanimous 19:22.757 --> 19:24.923 consent as these typically have been . 19:25.560 --> 19:27.449 I don't think I , I don't think I 19:27.449 --> 19:29.504 should , I don't think , I don't , I 19:29.504 --> 19:31.671 don't think I should , I don't think I 19:31.671 --> 19:35.589 should do that . I just am Knight . Did 19:35.729 --> 19:38.007 he leave his post ? I , I believe he's , 19:38.007 --> 19:40.062 I believe he's finished his tenure . 19:40.062 --> 19:42.229 Yes . Go ahead . Thank you . Um I just 19:42.229 --> 19:44.451 wanted to follow up because we received 19:44.451 --> 19:46.673 a statement from Senator Paul Rand Paul 19:46.673 --> 19:50.219 in response to , to Lincoln's uh letter 19:50.229 --> 19:52.459 and comments and he's placing the blame 19:52.469 --> 19:54.969 with uh Chairman Menendez saying if 19:54.979 --> 19:57.090 saying the committee will only return 19:57.090 --> 19:59.146 to expedited procedure when Chairman 19:59.146 --> 20:01.729 Menendez signs COVID-19 document 20:01.739 --> 20:03.850 requests . Is that something that the 20:03.850 --> 20:05.683 State Department would encourage 20:05.683 --> 20:07.906 Menendez to do ? Is that some something 20:07.906 --> 20:10.369 that you , you know , Blinken or 20:10.380 --> 20:13.010 officials have spoken to senators ? Um 20:13.910 --> 20:16.699 So , so I won't get into what is an 20:16.709 --> 20:19.189 internal Senate issue ? I will say with 20:19.199 --> 20:21.369 uh from our perspective , we have 20:21.380 --> 20:23.589 already provided documents to Senator 20:23.599 --> 20:25.932 Paul that are responsive to his request . 20:25.932 --> 20:28.099 We have made clear that we uh see this 20:28.099 --> 20:29.877 as an ongoing process . We will 20:29.877 --> 20:32.043 continue to provide documents that are 20:32.043 --> 20:34.155 responsive to his request , but he is 20:34.155 --> 20:36.210 asking us for documents that are not 20:36.210 --> 20:36.060 State Department documents and 20:36.069 --> 20:37.902 documents that we cannot provide 20:37.902 --> 20:40.125 because they're not in our possession , 20:40.125 --> 20:42.125 but yet continues to use that as an 20:42.125 --> 20:44.069 excuse to hold up state department 20:44.069 --> 20:43.939 nominees as the secretary pointed out 20:43.949 --> 20:46.171 pointed out who have never been held to 20:46.171 --> 20:47.949 this standard before . The vast 20:47.949 --> 20:50.359 majority of career ambassadors have 20:50.369 --> 20:52.536 been not , have been confirmed through 20:52.536 --> 20:54.480 unanimous consent . So , um we are 20:54.480 --> 20:56.702 happy to engage , continue to engage in 20:56.702 --> 20:59.069 a uh a legitimate process with Senator 20:59.079 --> 21:01.246 Paul . I will let Senator Menendez and 21:01.246 --> 21:03.630 speak to internal Senate issues but he 21:03.640 --> 21:05.751 shouldn't be holding our our nominees 21:05.751 --> 21:07.862 hostage because all that does is hurt 21:07.862 --> 21:09.807 our national security . Go ahead . 21:09.920 --> 21:13.890 Thank you . The UN Security Council 21:13.900 --> 21:16.699 failed to announce last week . A 21:16.709 --> 21:19.300 statement condemning the North Korea's 21:19.310 --> 21:22.449 ballistic missile launch violations due 21:22.459 --> 21:25.420 to opposition from China and Russia 21:26.505 --> 21:29.584 as China and Russia protect North Korea 21:29.594 --> 21:32.655 in the Un Security Council , North 21:32.665 --> 21:36.555 Korea will not stop its provocations . 21:36.724 --> 21:40.155 What solution does the United States 21:40.165 --> 21:43.594 have to convince China and Russia ? 21:44.229 --> 21:46.380 Well , I will just say as you pointed 21:46.390 --> 21:49.459 out , you're right . All of the members 21:49.469 --> 21:51.358 of the Un Security Council except 21:51.358 --> 21:53.580 Russia and China voted to condemn the D 21:53.580 --> 21:56.219 Pr Ks continued violation of Un 21:56.229 --> 21:57.951 Security Council resolutions , 21:57.951 --> 21:59.896 expressing concern about continued 21:59.896 --> 22:02.007 launches and calling for progress for 22:02.007 --> 22:03.951 dialogue . We hope the Un Security 22:03.951 --> 22:06.118 Council will continue to come together 22:06.118 --> 22:09.189 to address the D Pr Ks actions . And I 22:09.199 --> 22:11.421 will say that this is an issue that the 22:11.421 --> 22:13.532 secretary raised in his meetings when 22:13.532 --> 22:15.643 we were in China . It's a secret , an 22:15.643 --> 22:17.755 issue we continue to raise with China 22:17.755 --> 22:19.977 and we would hope that China and Russia 22:19.977 --> 22:22.032 would urge the D Pr K to come to the 22:22.032 --> 22:25.369 table . South Korean president 22:25.609 --> 22:29.599 made a supply visit to Ukraine 22:29.609 --> 22:33.020 and met with the President Jelinski and 22:33.030 --> 22:36.619 the president promised to help Ukraine 22:36.630 --> 22:38.790 with the military . And 22:41.479 --> 22:42.050 how can 22:45.150 --> 22:47.439 we welcome the visit ? We welcomed the 22:47.449 --> 22:49.859 President's expression of support . Um 22:49.869 --> 22:51.869 We always think it's important when 22:51.869 --> 22:54.091 other foreign leaders can make the trip 22:54.091 --> 22:56.091 to Ukraine to speak first hand with 22:56.091 --> 22:58.313 President Zelinsky and other members of 22:58.313 --> 23:00.480 the Ukrainian government uh to see the 23:00.480 --> 23:03.969 the destruction that has been inflicted 23:03.979 --> 23:06.890 on that country by Russia . And we 23:06.900 --> 23:09.180 encourage every country in the world to 23:09.189 --> 23:11.859 join us in supporting Ukraine . 23:13.859 --> 23:16.170 Thank you . Thank you . My first 23:16.180 --> 23:18.599 question is about Pakistan just had its 23:18.609 --> 23:20.776 court commanders conference held today 23:20.776 --> 23:24.189 in which uh they urged Afghanistan to 23:24.199 --> 23:26.670 take care of the terrorist sanctuaries 23:26.680 --> 23:29.959 there which are uh coming and doing 23:29.969 --> 23:32.390 activities in Pakistan . And this is in 23:32.400 --> 23:34.567 one week . This is the second time the 23:34.567 --> 23:38.079 Pakistan military has openly told 23:38.089 --> 23:39.867 Afghanistan to take some action 23:39.867 --> 23:41.978 otherwise they are going to take some 23:41.978 --> 23:44.270 action against them , your comments 23:44.280 --> 23:46.113 about that . So I don't have any 23:46.113 --> 23:48.224 comments specifically on that , but I 23:48.224 --> 23:50.336 will say we have made very clear that 23:50.336 --> 23:52.058 we believe the Taliban has the 23:52.058 --> 23:53.800 responsibility to prevent 23:55.699 --> 23:58.280 Afghanistan from being used as a safe 23:58.290 --> 24:00.512 haven for launching terrorist attacks . 24:01.140 --> 24:03.660 My second question is about President 24:03.670 --> 24:05.839 Modi and the U A president had a 24:05.849 --> 24:09.300 meeting a few days ago and they decided 24:09.310 --> 24:12.939 to do their trade of over $8 billion 24:13.130 --> 24:16.810 and change it into their local 24:16.819 --> 24:20.160 currencies . We are seeing a big twist 24:20.170 --> 24:23.410 in the dollarization value decrease 24:23.420 --> 24:25.309 over there . Is the US paying any 24:25.309 --> 24:27.476 attention to that or doing any steps ? 24:27.476 --> 24:29.642 We are but I don't have any comment on 24:29.642 --> 24:33.459 it . The Israeli issue , please now 24:33.469 --> 24:35.413 report that since the beginning of 24:35.413 --> 24:37.770 January , these readers have approved 24:37.780 --> 24:41.369 something like 15,000 new housing 24:41.380 --> 24:43.491 settlement units and so on . I mean , 24:43.491 --> 24:45.910 it sound like a broken record but what 24:45.920 --> 24:49.290 could this administration do to sort of 24:49.300 --> 24:51.578 deter Israel instead of rewarding them ? 24:51.578 --> 24:53.689 I mean , we see that the president of 24:53.689 --> 24:55.633 Israel is coming , maybe the Prime 24:55.633 --> 24:57.633 Minister of Israel is coming . So I 24:57.633 --> 24:59.633 will say , as I said before that we 24:59.633 --> 25:01.578 have been absolutely clear on this 25:01.578 --> 25:03.744 issue . The United States opposes such 25:03.744 --> 25:05.800 unit lateral actions that make a two 25:05.800 --> 25:07.633 state solution more difficult to 25:07.633 --> 25:09.689 achieve and are an obstacle to peace 25:09.689 --> 25:11.856 that includes settlement activity . Um 25:11.856 --> 25:13.911 We have made this clear , publicly , 25:13.911 --> 25:16.078 made it clear in conversation with you 25:16.078 --> 25:15.589 a number of times and we make it clear 25:15.599 --> 25:17.488 in our conversations with Israeli 25:17.488 --> 25:19.710 government officials . Another question 25:19.710 --> 25:22.030 on a journalist , a journalist , a 25:22.040 --> 25:24.096 Palestinian journalist that has been 25:24.096 --> 25:26.207 arrested by the Palestinian Authority 25:26.207 --> 25:28.262 for conducting his job . I know that 25:28.262 --> 25:30.630 the P A is you know , a benefactor of 25:30.640 --> 25:33.300 the P A in many ways . So do you have 25:33.310 --> 25:36.020 any comment on the brutality of the 25:36.030 --> 25:37.919 Palestinian authority in terms of 25:37.919 --> 25:40.086 dealing with Palestinian journalists ? 25:40.086 --> 25:41.863 I don't have any comment on the 25:41.863 --> 25:43.697 specific case . I would say that 25:43.697 --> 25:43.550 broadly speaking , the United States 25:43.560 --> 25:45.282 supports press freedom and the 25:45.282 --> 25:47.116 protection of our journalists in 25:47.116 --> 25:49.338 carrying out their work . Are you aware 25:49.338 --> 25:51.250 of the arrest of seen the reports 25:54.750 --> 25:57.599 since the president visiting tomorrow 25:58.449 --> 26:01.969 today ? That Prime Minister Netanyahu 26:01.979 --> 26:04.250 has been invited to come to the US to 26:04.260 --> 26:06.599 meet , to meet with President Biden um 26:07.060 --> 26:09.393 you know , you , you've expressed these , 26:09.393 --> 26:11.727 these concerns over and over , you know , 26:11.727 --> 26:14.380 often in response to questions , but in 26:14.439 --> 26:16.770 response to many different actions that 26:16.780 --> 26:18.947 the Israeli government has taken , you 26:18.947 --> 26:21.169 know , you're expressing concerns about 26:21.169 --> 26:23.280 the policies of this government , but 26:23.280 --> 26:25.613 we now see an invitation being extended . 26:25.613 --> 26:27.558 We've got the president coming , I 26:27.558 --> 26:29.669 guess . What's your response to the , 26:29.669 --> 26:31.891 to the , you know , the , I think a lot 26:31.891 --> 26:34.113 of people would see that and say you're 26:34.113 --> 26:36.530 not following up these concerns with 26:36.540 --> 26:39.189 any sort of tangible actions . I would 26:39.199 --> 26:41.421 say , I think that the characterization 26:41.421 --> 26:43.839 oversimplifies our relationship with 26:43.849 --> 26:46.071 this government as is true for a number 26:46.071 --> 26:48.359 of our allies . There are things with 26:48.369 --> 26:50.480 which we agree with Israel and things 26:50.480 --> 26:52.647 with which we disagree . We made clear 26:52.647 --> 26:54.758 in all of our engagements with Israel 26:54.758 --> 26:57.094 that our commitment to their security 26:57.104 --> 26:59.564 is ironclad . At the same time , we , 26:59.594 --> 27:01.594 we raise concerns that we have with 27:01.594 --> 27:03.594 them . We also have priorities that 27:03.594 --> 27:05.650 we're working on with respect to the 27:05.650 --> 27:04.795 government of Israel . As you know , 27:04.805 --> 27:06.805 Secretary Blinken traveled to Saudi 27:06.805 --> 27:09.645 Arabia recently where he pressed for no 27:09.714 --> 27:12.047 normalization with Saudi Arabia . We've , 27:12.047 --> 27:14.604 we've launched an extensive effort , 27:14.614 --> 27:16.655 effort to deepen and broaden 27:17.609 --> 27:19.720 normalization with other countries in 27:19.720 --> 27:21.553 the region . So yes , we do have 27:21.553 --> 27:23.720 concerns with certain actions that the 27:23.720 --> 27:25.720 government of Israel takes . But we 27:25.720 --> 27:27.720 have other other issues in which we 27:27.720 --> 27:27.150 have shared priorities and we work 27:27.160 --> 27:29.280 together . So , uh our relationship 27:29.290 --> 27:31.290 with them is one where we have some 27:31.290 --> 27:33.346 things we agree on and work together 27:33.346 --> 27:35.679 and other places where we have concerns , 27:35.679 --> 27:35.359 we press them privately and publicly . 27:35.550 --> 27:37.550 One of those issues that you are in 27:37.550 --> 27:39.790 touch with them on is the Israelis 27:39.800 --> 27:42.349 getting access to the visa waiver 27:42.359 --> 27:45.530 program . There's been some reporting 27:45.540 --> 27:47.707 out of Israel . Israeli officials seem 27:47.707 --> 27:49.969 to be sort of suggesting that they're 27:49.979 --> 27:51.979 going to be able to move forward on 27:51.979 --> 27:53.923 that , that there might be a pilot 27:53.923 --> 27:55.812 program to see whether , you know 27:55.812 --> 27:58.146 Palestinian Americans can travel in the , 27:58.146 --> 28:00.257 in the same way as other Americans in 28:00.257 --> 28:02.312 Israel . Is there any update you can 28:02.312 --> 28:05.020 give us on Israel's chances of getting 28:05.030 --> 28:07.141 into that program ? I am not going to 28:07.141 --> 28:08.697 comment on those reports or 28:08.697 --> 28:10.752 prognosticate on their chances other 28:10.760 --> 28:12.871 than to say that we continue to be in 28:12.871 --> 28:14.816 discussions with Israel about this 28:14.816 --> 28:16.982 matter . We continue to work with them 28:16.982 --> 28:19.093 to fulfilling the visa waiver program 28:19.093 --> 28:20.927 requirements including extending 28:20.927 --> 28:22.704 reciprocal privileges to all us 28:22.704 --> 28:24.538 citizens and nationals including 28:24.538 --> 28:26.704 Palestinian Americans to travel to and 28:26.704 --> 28:28.649 through Israel . It's an important 28:28.649 --> 28:28.020 issue . It's one we've engaged with 28:28.030 --> 28:30.030 them on for some time , but I don't 28:30.030 --> 28:33.119 have an update on the status . Go ahead . 28:34.479 --> 28:37.530 Last week , Iraq has signed a deal with 28:37.540 --> 28:41.000 Tehran that exchanged gas for oil and 28:41.010 --> 28:43.630 that this has likely violated new 28:43.640 --> 28:46.949 sanctions on Iran any reactions to that . 28:47.729 --> 28:50.030 Um I don't we continue to monitor that 28:50.040 --> 28:53.790 issue and one last question this week , 28:53.800 --> 28:55.967 the Iraqi Prime Minister visited Syria 28:55.967 --> 28:58.189 and met with Bashar Assad and also they 28:58.189 --> 29:00.411 discussed about different issues in the 29:00.411 --> 29:02.670 region as the Syrian Bashar Assad 29:02.680 --> 29:04.847 coming back to the regional . Are , do 29:04.847 --> 29:06.902 you have a clear proceed towards the 29:06.902 --> 29:08.902 Kurdish issue in Syria ? How do you 29:08.902 --> 29:10.958 want to resolve the Kurdish issue in 29:10.958 --> 29:13.013 Syria at this stage ? Uh Let me take 29:13.013 --> 29:16.780 that one back . Go ahead . Mr President 29:16.900 --> 29:19.011 Recep Tayyip Erdogan signaled that we 29:19.011 --> 29:21.233 might have to wait until October to see 29:21.233 --> 29:23.199 the Turkish parliament are defying 29:23.209 --> 29:25.530 Sweden success to NATO . Based on your 29:25.540 --> 29:27.707 recent conversations that we have with 29:27.707 --> 29:29.540 the Turkish government . Are you 29:29.540 --> 29:31.762 optimistic that this might move forward 29:31.762 --> 29:33.873 faster and get it done earlier before 29:33.873 --> 29:36.040 October ? I won't speak to timelines . 29:36.040 --> 29:38.207 I will say that we are optimistic that 29:38.207 --> 29:40.262 Sweden's accession into NATO will be 29:40.262 --> 29:42.484 approved . We appreciate Prime Minister 29:42.579 --> 29:44.819 Erdogan's work on this matter as 29:44.829 --> 29:46.885 President , excuse me , I knew as it 29:46.885 --> 29:49.162 came out of my mouth that it was wrong . 29:49.162 --> 29:48.930 We appreciate President Erdogan's work 29:48.939 --> 29:51.079 on this matter , but I don't have any 29:51.089 --> 29:53.145 timeline of them to say that we hope 29:53.145 --> 29:55.609 it's approved as soon as possible . Go 29:55.670 --> 29:59.550 ahead of the office of the special 29:59.560 --> 30:02.829 envoy for Iran in gaining the release 30:02.839 --> 30:05.760 of the dual National Americans 30:05.770 --> 30:08.859 imprisoned in Iran . I do not . It's an 30:08.869 --> 30:11.091 issue on which that office continues to 30:11.091 --> 30:13.510 be engaged . We are working to return . 30:13.520 --> 30:15.631 We're working to secure the return of 30:15.631 --> 30:17.742 those American citizens , but I don't 30:17.742 --> 30:19.909 have any update . Has the needle moved 30:19.909 --> 30:22.020 at all since uh I , I just don't have 30:22.020 --> 30:24.242 any update other to say it continues to 30:24.242 --> 30:26.409 be an important priority for us . Ok . 30:26.409 --> 30:28.859 Um Again , in Iran now , uh the uh 30:28.869 --> 30:31.250 police or the government has started a 30:31.260 --> 30:35.250 new down uh for hijab . Uh since um 30:35.550 --> 30:38.180 the anniversary of Massai death is 30:38.189 --> 30:41.589 approaching any comments on that . Um 30:42.189 --> 30:45.660 I will say that um we are concerned by 30:45.670 --> 30:47.559 the reports that Iran's so called 30:47.559 --> 30:50.510 morality police are again cracking down 30:50.689 --> 30:53.260 to enforce mandatory hijab . It seems 30:53.270 --> 30:55.492 the regime has learned nothing from the 30:55.492 --> 30:57.492 recent protests and we believe that 30:57.492 --> 30:59.548 women and girls everywhere should be 30:59.548 --> 31:02.510 allowed to wear what they want . Thank 31:02.790 --> 31:05.410 you . Uh Kosovo Prime Minister Alvin 31:05.420 --> 31:08.459 Curti uh has stated that Kosovo police 31:08.469 --> 31:12.089 is the extension of the KL A which you 31:12.099 --> 31:15.079 know , was a militia during uh the war 31:15.089 --> 31:17.170 in the nineties . So if the Kosovo 31:17.180 --> 31:20.209 police , um President of Serbia told me 31:20.219 --> 31:22.441 in the interview for the public today , 31:22.441 --> 31:24.441 I'm quoting . He said if the Kosovo 31:24.441 --> 31:26.552 police is the successor of the KL A , 31:26.552 --> 31:29.390 then the legal fact is , is the and all 31:29.400 --> 31:31.859 the groups that emerge from it are 31:31.869 --> 31:35.760 prohibited by the UN resolution be 44 . 31:36.079 --> 31:38.339 Um He said that he's going to talk 31:38.349 --> 31:40.380 about this with the NATO Secretary 31:40.390 --> 31:43.369 General this week in Brussels . My 31:43.380 --> 31:45.680 question . Do you support uh Alvin 31:45.689 --> 31:47.959 Curtis rhetoric that cost to the police 31:47.969 --> 31:50.359 is the extension of the Calais . Let me 31:50.369 --> 31:52.258 take that one back and get you an 31:52.258 --> 31:56.030 answer . Yeah , go ahead . Ok , 31:56.969 --> 31:59.199 go ahead . So um the other thing uh 31:59.209 --> 32:02.329 related to the um situation in , in the 32:02.339 --> 32:05.229 north of Kosovo . Um So President of 32:05.239 --> 32:07.461 Serbia said that since the beginning of 32:07.461 --> 32:09.959 this year , uh I'm quoting him , seven 32:09.969 --> 32:12.689 Serbs have been wounded in attacks by 32:12.699 --> 32:15.219 the Albanians . Um And he said that 32:15.229 --> 32:17.699 this often involve official Albanian 32:17.709 --> 32:20.066 figure um like police officers of 32:20.076 --> 32:22.586 members of Kosovo security forces . And 32:22.595 --> 32:25.015 he said no legal proceedings are being 32:25.026 --> 32:28.885 conducted against those responsible for 32:28.895 --> 32:30.895 targeting Serbian population in the 32:30.895 --> 32:33.485 North . So , and he said that NATO must 32:33.495 --> 32:35.662 put an end to all these provocations . 32:35.662 --> 32:37.965 So are you as the United States are 32:37.975 --> 32:40.142 going to address the arrest of Serbian 32:40.142 --> 32:42.253 population in the north of Kosovo ? I 32:42.255 --> 32:44.422 will say I will reiterate what we said 32:44.432 --> 32:48.021 before , which is that we urge both 32:48.031 --> 32:50.712 sides to take steps to de escalate and 32:50.722 --> 32:52.833 return to the eu facilitated dialogue 32:54.881 --> 32:56.881 regarding China . What is President 32:56.891 --> 32:59.031 Biden's response to holding China 32:59.041 --> 33:01.421 accountable for their organ harvesting 33:01.432 --> 33:04.121 for sterilization , labor and abortion 33:04.131 --> 33:07.729 of Muslim or Muslim uighurs in Chinese 33:07.739 --> 33:10.300 internment camps as well as Christian 33:10.310 --> 33:12.819 persecution , not only in China but 33:12.829 --> 33:14.996 internationally . And then follow up . 33:14.996 --> 33:17.218 I will say we have been very clear that 33:17.218 --> 33:19.329 we oppose the treatment of uighurs in 33:19.329 --> 33:21.385 China and have taken steps already a 33:21.385 --> 33:23.051 number of steps to hold China 33:23.051 --> 33:25.107 accountable for those actions . Ok . 33:25.107 --> 33:27.385 About Christian persecution . Go ahead . 33:27.385 --> 33:29.607 Ok . And then what is President Biden's 33:29.607 --> 33:31.440 response to us national security 33:31.440 --> 33:33.607 concerns with Chinese companies owning 33:33.607 --> 33:35.718 American farmland and businesses . Uh 33:35.718 --> 33:37.829 uh Let me take that one back . Yeah , 33:37.829 --> 33:41.760 go ahead . Explanation for Foreign 33:41.770 --> 33:44.989 Minister's absence . They've said that 33:45.000 --> 33:47.089 he is dealing with health issues . 33:47.099 --> 33:49.979 Secretary Blinken met at the end of 33:49.989 --> 33:53.010 last week with Wang Yi , another one of 33:53.020 --> 33:55.900 his counterparts and expressed his best 33:55.910 --> 33:58.780 wishes to see him soon . Different 33:58.790 --> 34:01.130 topic did the precedent set by the 34:01.140 --> 34:03.880 Department in the Afghan Descent cable 34:03.939 --> 34:05.772 giving that to the House Foreign 34:05.772 --> 34:09.080 Affairs Committee set or change the way 34:09.090 --> 34:12.110 or allow Senator Paul to make demands 34:12.120 --> 34:14.342 that he's making . Uh I certainly don't 34:14.342 --> 34:16.064 believe so . We saw that as an 34:16.064 --> 34:18.064 extraordinary accommodation that we 34:18.064 --> 34:20.239 made to the Congress and in a very 34:20.250 --> 34:22.745 special circumstance . As you know , we 34:22.754 --> 34:24.754 allowed members of Congress to come 34:24.754 --> 34:27.145 here and read that cable behind closed 34:27.155 --> 34:29.377 doors . We see that as a very different 34:29.377 --> 34:31.377 issue than the demands that Senator 34:31.377 --> 34:33.433 Paul is making . And again , I would 34:33.433 --> 34:36.665 just reiterate Senator Paul can make 34:36.675 --> 34:38.508 legitimate requests of the State 34:38.508 --> 34:40.064 Department of others in the 34:40.064 --> 34:42.175 administration . What we object to is 34:42.175 --> 34:44.231 him holding hostage nominees who are 34:44.231 --> 34:47.010 career foreign service officers who 34:47.020 --> 34:48.687 have served in Republican and 34:48.687 --> 34:50.909 Democratic administrations alike . Many 34:50.909 --> 34:52.853 of them have been nominated to and 34:52.853 --> 34:54.853 confirmed for ambassadorships under 34:54.853 --> 34:54.840 Republican presidents , including the 34:54.850 --> 34:57.290 previous administration , holding those 34:57.300 --> 34:59.133 nominees up for issues that have 34:59.133 --> 35:01.356 nothing to do with their qualifications 35:01.356 --> 35:03.578 and hurting our national security , our 35:03.578 --> 35:05.522 national security in the process . 35:05.522 --> 35:08.570 That's what we object to the UK counter 35:08.610 --> 35:10.780 offensive defense official said today 35:10.790 --> 35:13.239 that since the latest counter offensive 35:13.250 --> 35:15.250 began , they've been able to retake 35:15.250 --> 35:17.610 about 81 square miles of territory 35:17.620 --> 35:19.842 that's a little larger than the size of 35:19.842 --> 35:22.010 DC . Now compare that to the 4600 35:22.020 --> 35:24.131 square miles that Ukraine was able to 35:24.131 --> 35:26.464 take during the first counter offensive . 35:26.464 --> 35:28.631 Does the US and its allies see that as 35:28.631 --> 35:30.798 a significant step forward for Ukraine 35:30.798 --> 35:32.964 or does the strategy here need to be ? 35:32.964 --> 35:34.520 I will say , as I have said 35:34.520 --> 35:36.520 consistently since the beginning of 35:36.520 --> 35:38.742 this counter offensive , that from this 35:38.742 --> 35:40.964 podium , I'm not going to pass judgment 35:40.964 --> 35:42.909 on the progress or provide kind of 35:42.909 --> 35:44.909 minute by minute updates on what is 35:44.909 --> 35:44.875 ultimately a military matter that 35:44.885 --> 35:47.107 doesn't even involve our own military . 35:47.107 --> 35:49.415 I will say from from our perspective , 35:49.425 --> 35:51.754 obviously , the Russians have had time 35:51.764 --> 35:55.064 to dig in to fortify to to put land 35:55.074 --> 35:56.685 mines all over the Ukrainian 35:56.685 --> 35:58.741 countryside . And so I know that the 35:58.741 --> 36:00.907 Ukrainians expected that this would be 36:00.907 --> 36:03.074 a difficult process , we expected that 36:03.074 --> 36:03.060 it would be a difficult process . I 36:03.070 --> 36:05.181 think the important thing is that the 36:05.181 --> 36:07.403 Ukrainians have everything they need to 36:07.403 --> 36:09.514 conduct this counter offensive . They 36:09.514 --> 36:11.681 have yet to commit all of the military 36:11.681 --> 36:13.959 units that they have available to them , 36:13.959 --> 36:16.126 including some units that were trained 36:16.126 --> 36:18.292 by NATO forces over the past year . So 36:18.292 --> 36:18.129 I would say it is still early days in 36:18.139 --> 36:20.250 the counter offensive , but as to any 36:20.250 --> 36:22.417 battlefield assessments . I will leave 36:22.417 --> 36:24.361 that to the Ukrainians . Yeah , go 36:24.361 --> 36:27.729 ahead house Foreign Affairs Chairman 36:27.739 --> 36:29.850 Michael mccaul said he hopes that the 36:29.850 --> 36:32.320 US could put some leverage on countries 36:32.330 --> 36:35.129 like Turkey that are depending on F-16s 36:35.139 --> 36:37.250 to use their leverage on . Put in for 36:37.250 --> 36:39.195 the Green Deal . Is there any link 36:39.195 --> 36:41.429 between F-16 sales to Turkey and the 36:41.439 --> 36:43.606 Grain deal ? And are you in touch with 36:43.606 --> 36:45.828 Congress or Ankara today about Russia's 36:45.828 --> 36:48.260 decision about ? There is no link and I 36:48.270 --> 36:52.050 will say that Turkey has been at the 36:52.060 --> 36:54.649 forefront of encouraging Russia to 36:54.790 --> 36:57.449 first enter into and then extend the 36:57.459 --> 36:59.626 Black Sea Grain initiative . So Turkey 36:59.626 --> 37:03.350 has been a leader in this effort of 37:03.360 --> 37:05.527 trying to secure food supplies for the 37:05.527 --> 37:07.638 entire world . We have commended them 37:07.638 --> 37:09.860 for their efforts and it is Russia that 37:09.860 --> 37:11.860 is holding up this initiative , not 37:11.860 --> 37:15.399 Turkey or any other country . Very 37:15.409 --> 37:17.353 quick question on two questions on 37:17.353 --> 37:19.679 Bangladesh after returning back under 37:19.689 --> 37:22.330 Secretary Zaia Bangladesh regime is 37:22.340 --> 37:25.110 back to you know , under attack the 37:25.120 --> 37:27.889 opposition parties rallies . And just 37:27.899 --> 37:30.300 yesterday , there was an election by 37:30.310 --> 37:32.088 election though main opposition 37:32.088 --> 37:34.199 boycotted because of that , that they 37:34.199 --> 37:36.929 the even independent candidate under 37:37.229 --> 37:39.451 attack came under that he's in hospital 37:39.451 --> 37:43.040 now and less than 10% vote casted . And 37:43.050 --> 37:45.459 so how could you believe that that 37:45.469 --> 37:47.636 Prime Minister Hasina will ensure free 37:47.636 --> 37:50.020 fair election as you know , 2014 and 37:50.030 --> 37:52.729 2018 election was not free , fair and 37:52.739 --> 37:54.850 still the by election is not free and 37:54.850 --> 37:58.209 fair and candidates like under attack . 37:58.219 --> 38:00.489 So what is your position on this ? I 38:00.500 --> 38:02.611 would say that this type of political 38:02.611 --> 38:04.611 violence has no place in democratic 38:04.611 --> 38:06.778 election . We encourage the government 38:06.778 --> 38:08.611 of Bangladesh to investigate any 38:08.611 --> 38:10.333 reports of violence thoroughly 38:10.333 --> 38:12.389 transparently and impartially and to 38:12.389 --> 38:14.444 hold the perpetrators of violence to 38:14.444 --> 38:16.500 account . And I would say that as we 38:16.500 --> 38:18.722 have said before , that we would expect 38:18.722 --> 38:20.778 the government of Bangladesh to hold 38:20.778 --> 38:23.000 free and fair elections and we continue 38:23.000 --> 38:26.080 to monitor it closely . Just 38:26.360 --> 38:29.070 Wednesday night in New York , one of 38:29.080 --> 38:32.570 the opposition activist protest 38:33.040 --> 38:36.139 in front of the ruling visiting arm 38:36.320 --> 38:39.540 party . MP . And just after a few hours , 38:39.550 --> 38:42.219 the his family got under attack in this 38:42.229 --> 38:45.060 back home in Bangladesh , his brother 38:45.070 --> 38:47.181 and his mother and the family members 38:47.181 --> 38:49.292 and the government ruling party voted 38:49.292 --> 38:51.014 in live Facebook that they are 38:51.014 --> 38:53.237 attacking , who is raising boys outside 38:53.237 --> 38:55.403 the country , they are attacking their 38:55.403 --> 38:57.403 home . So it was under life . So if 38:57.403 --> 38:59.469 someone is talking from us or 38:59.479 --> 39:01.520 protesting or arguing with the 39:01.530 --> 39:03.840 government party , so , and they are 39:03.850 --> 39:05.850 not safe in their home country . So 39:05.850 --> 39:07.850 what is your view on that ? I would 39:07.850 --> 39:09.683 just say again that that type of 39:09.683 --> 39:09.419 violence that you mentioned has no 39:09.429 --> 39:11.207 place in democratic elections . 39:15.090 --> 39:17.229 I wondered if you could say anything 39:17.239 --> 39:19.239 about the meeting the secretary had 39:19.239 --> 39:21.406 today with the CEO S of Intel Qualcomm 39:21.406 --> 39:24.120 and the video and how much uh the this 39:24.129 --> 39:26.351 department sort of looks to the private 39:26.351 --> 39:29.750 sector to in terms of feedback on 39:29.760 --> 39:31.760 policy towards China , particularly 39:31.760 --> 39:33.982 restrictions on semiconductors . Yeah , 39:33.982 --> 39:35.982 I would say the secretary looked at 39:35.982 --> 39:38.038 that meeting as an opportunity to do 39:38.038 --> 39:37.739 two things . Number one to share his 39:37.804 --> 39:40.014 perspective on the industry and on 39:40.024 --> 39:42.191 supply chain issues , especially after 39:42.191 --> 39:44.357 his recent visit to China . And number 39:44.357 --> 39:46.165 two to hear directly from those 39:46.175 --> 39:48.685 companies about how they see supply 39:48.695 --> 39:51.975 chain issues about how they see doing 39:51.985 --> 39:55.149 business in China . Um We've seen China 39:55.159 --> 39:57.270 recently announce restrictions on the 39:57.270 --> 39:59.709 export of materials that are used to 39:59.719 --> 40:03.110 construct um chips . And so he saw it 40:03.120 --> 40:05.120 as a productive meeting to exchange 40:05.120 --> 40:07.379 views on those two issues and just 40:07.389 --> 40:09.111 moving on to a slight , slight 40:09.111 --> 40:11.469 different issue . Um Thailand last week , 40:11.479 --> 40:15.100 the parliament was unable to or didn't 40:15.110 --> 40:18.090 approve Peter the head of the move 40:18.100 --> 40:21.540 forward party um to , to become the 40:21.550 --> 40:23.717 Prime Minister . I want , you know , I 40:23.717 --> 40:25.939 know the US has kind of spoken a little 40:25.939 --> 40:27.994 bit to , to the current sort of post 40:27.994 --> 40:30.161 election environment in Thailand . But 40:30.161 --> 40:32.328 are you concerned that the party moved 40:32.328 --> 40:31.919 forward as the party that won the most 40:31.929 --> 40:34.096 seats in the in the elections in uh in 40:34.096 --> 40:38.010 May that a government could 40:38.020 --> 40:40.187 end up being formed without them being 40:40.187 --> 40:42.298 represented ? Let me say a few things 40:42.298 --> 40:44.353 first that the United States doesn't 40:44.353 --> 40:43.939 have a preferred outcome in the Thai 40:43.949 --> 40:45.727 election . We don't support any 40:45.727 --> 40:47.879 particular party or politician . What 40:47.889 --> 40:51.010 we do support is multi party democracy 40:51.020 --> 40:52.853 and a post election process that 40:52.853 --> 40:54.909 reflects the will of the Thai people 40:54.909 --> 40:56.576 and supports a democratic and 40:56.576 --> 40:59.120 prosperous future for Thailand . We are 40:59.129 --> 41:01.351 very closely watching the post election 41:01.351 --> 41:03.462 developments that includes the recent 41:03.462 --> 41:05.629 developments in the legal system which 41:05.629 --> 41:07.851 are of concern . We believe this moment 41:07.851 --> 41:09.740 is an opportunity for Thailand to 41:09.740 --> 41:12.073 demonstrate its commitment to democracy . 41:12.419 --> 41:14.530 You mentioned the developments in the 41:14.530 --> 41:16.641 legal system that are of concern . We 41:16.641 --> 41:16.590 wonder if you could say a little bit 41:16.600 --> 41:20.469 more clearly if Mister Pita 41:20.659 --> 41:24.419 is disqualified from , from taking 41:24.429 --> 41:27.679 office or if the party is dissolved , 41:27.689 --> 41:29.856 does that represent a red line for the 41:29.856 --> 41:32.330 U ? I don't want to speculate about how 41:32.340 --> 41:34.507 we might react to events that have not 41:34.507 --> 41:36.618 yet occurred . I will say that we are 41:36.618 --> 41:38.562 watching it closely and the recent 41:38.562 --> 41:42.169 developments are of concern to us . Why 41:42.219 --> 41:44.330 don't you go and close this out ? The 41:44.330 --> 41:47.389 US has attended a meeting in Qatar on 41:47.399 --> 41:50.280 Lebanon today and the meeting included 41:50.290 --> 41:53.939 Saudi Arabia , Egypt , France and Qatar . 41:54.100 --> 41:57.159 Do you have any ? We have a statement 41:57.169 --> 41:59.391 that either gone out wise at the podium 41:59.391 --> 42:01.649 will be going out shortly on this 42:01.659 --> 42:03.750 meeting . Uh What I will say is that 42:03.760 --> 42:05.982 the five countries have underscored our 42:05.982 --> 42:08.204 commitment to Lebanon's sovereignty and 42:08.204 --> 42:10.204 independence . We noted with , with 42:10.204 --> 42:12.260 concern , however , that nearly nine 42:12.260 --> 42:14.482 months after the end of the president's 42:14.482 --> 42:16.704 term , Lebanon's political leaders have 42:16.704 --> 42:18.649 yet to elect a successor . We also 42:18.649 --> 42:18.620 underscored the desperate need for 42:18.629 --> 42:21.510 judicial reform and of the rule of law , 42:21.520 --> 42:23.919 especially in regard to the 2020 port 42:23.929 --> 42:26.639 of Beirut explosion investigation . And 42:26.649 --> 42:28.371 we'll have more details in the 42:28.371 --> 42:30.482 statement that comes out soon support 42:30.482 --> 42:32.482 the elections of the Lebanese armed 42:32.482 --> 42:34.760 forces commander as , as the president , 42:34.760 --> 42:36.982 we do not take positions on elections . 42:36.982 --> 42:36.780 Thank you .