MR PRICE: Hello, everyone. Happy Monday to you. I hope everyone is having a good start to the week as we prepare for the end of the year.
I’ll get to your questions in a moment, but first, we have one feature at the top, and that is today we announced the appointment of Joe Kennedy III as US Special Envoy for Economic Affairs of Northern Ireland. In this capacity, Joe Kennedy will focus on promoting economic development and investment opportunities in Northern Ireland for the benefit of all communities as well as strengthening one-to-one ties between the United States and Northern Ireland. Its role builds on the long-standing US commitment to support peace, prosperity and stability in Northern Ireland and the peace dividends of the Belfast Agreement and Good Friday.
Joe has dedicated his career to public service, including eight years in the US House of Representatives, his tenure as an assistant district attorney in Massachusetts, and his service as a Peace Corps volunteer. He will draw on his extensive experience to support economic growth in Northern Ireland and deepen US engagement with all communities.
With that, I know our colleague is out, so happy – Shaun.
QUESTION: Sure. There is something else I wanted to ask about. Just follow up on Joe Kennedy –
QUESTION: — to clarify, isn’t this a position like George Mitchell from the Northern Ireland delegate? It’s not going to be dealing directly with post-Brexit issues at least?
MR PRICE: That is correct. Mr. Kennedy will focus on US economic engagement and strengthening people-to-people ties with all communities in Northern Ireland. He will not be involved in political issues, including ongoing efforts to resolve differences regarding the Northern Ireland Protocol and to restore devolved institutions in Northern Ireland. That’s something we’re very focused on, of course; our diplomats here in Washington, our diplomats in Europe as well, will continue to engage with all parties on those particular issues.
But the economic side of all this is also really important and Joe Kennedy will focus on increasing those opportunities for communities in Northern Ireland and strengthening those links between people.
QUESTION: Sure. And in short, do you have a plan ready to have that position too? Is that deficient, basically that a delegate has no wider special position?
MR PRICE: I have no further personnel announcements to make now. We will obviously remain very involved on the political side of the equation, which will complement what Joe Kennedy is doing on the economic side. But I have no additional personnel announcements at the time.
QUESTION: Sure. Can we go to COP15?
QUESTION: Agreement announced earlier —
QUESTION: Can I ask Joe Kennedy a question? Does that – does that require Senate confirmation? I know – maybe I missed it.
MR PRICE: It doesn’t. It does not.
QUESTION: At COP15 an agreement was announced early today. Do you have any broader – broader response to that? How important is that, and especially the role of China? China was leading this – at least diplomatically. Some say this shows China is upping its game diplomatically. How do you – how do you see that? do you see –
MR PRICE: Well, we were all pleased to see the good news that came out of Montreal earlier today, which is that the delegates to COP15, COP15 of the Convention on Biological Diversity, adopted a sweeping and ambitious Global Biodiversity Framework that promised for the first world. it’s time to conserve and/or protect 30 percent of global lands and waters by 2030. The Global Biodiversity Framework is the turning point we think we need to tackle the biodiversity crisis and a better world to leave for future generations. We are grateful for the work of all the delegates there, including our Special Envoy and Assistant Secretary Monica Medina, who led the US delegation and the US team that accompanied her there.
We are very happy to see this. We see this as a culmination not only of this COP but really of years of effort and the results in a framework that makes clear ambitious and measurable goals and targets along with review efforts as well as tracking that progress. We look forward to working with all our partners to achieve the 2030 targets of the Global Biodiversity Framework. Of course it is important to have goals, but it could be argued that it is even more important to achieve those goals and ensure that the hard work put into this framework is translated into concrete results that are expected we will see in the coming year.
Achieving this, the so-called 30×30 goal, is important not only for biodiversity, but also to support nature’s resilience to climate impacts and to contribute to a sustainable and resilient global economy. We – the United States have been champions of conservation around the world for a long time. We know that we need to work with partners around the world to preserve critical ecosystems, to protect wildlife, to reduce the threats nature may face around the world. And we are willing to provide significant foreign aid for biodiversity and we will continue to provide significant foreign aid every year, and we will continue to be one of the largest donors to the Global Environment Facility – the financial mechanism of this convention.
I mentioned before that we were happy to work with all the partners. We will continue to work with all partners on these important and ambitious biodiversity targets. We appreciate the PRC’s partnership with Canada in hosting the convention in Montreal and helping us ensure the success of this COP as we land this important framework.
The PRC’s Minister of Ecology and Environment, Huang Runqiu, served as president of the COP and presided over plenary sessions, including the session earlier today where CBD parties reached an agreement on the Framework Global Biodiversity. We have talked at length about our approach to the PRC. It’s an approach that, as you all know, is very competitive. It is clear that there are areas where there is no shortage of tension in that relationship, but there are also areas where we are willing and, frankly, we need to work together: one is climate, one is global health, other areas global and transnational. challenges, including the threats to biodiversity that this COP focused on.
QUESTION: Yes, just adding to that, especially in relation to China’s role. To what extent would you say the United States has been cooperating with China on this? And do you think this could be — this could be a signal for other areas, whether it’s climate or whether it’s even more geopolitical security issues where there could be more cooperation there with the chinese?
MR PRICE: Well, I think there was a spirit of broad cooperation that really prevailed in this COP. I think you saw that in what was announced today. It was never inevitable that we would land on such an ambitious framework, but thanks to the cooperation and concerted commitment of these participants, we were able to do so. We certainly hope that this will encourage deeper cooperation with the PRC on common challenges, the climate, biodiversity being two of them.
When the PRC announced during the summer a pause or cessation of cooperation with the United States regarding the climate and in other areas of mutual interest, we expressed what I think countries around the world were thinking in many cases for themselves: that’s like two worlds. powers, as the world’s first and second largest emitters, we not only need but also have a responsibility to work together on these shared challenges. The world expects that from us.
An inability or, perhaps worse, an unwillingness to work together on these shared challenges is not only bad for the United States, it is not only bad for the PRC, but it is especially bad for the rest of the world – especially countries in the developing world, our developing partners who are particularly feeling the implications of climate change, economic degradation, leaving the world – the toll that is being taken on the ecology and the their own climate – within their own territories and around them in the world. So I think not only do we hope that this will translate into additional areas of concrete cooperation between the United States and the PRC, but probably the rest of the world –
MR PRICE: — aspiring to that as well.
QUESTION: Can I follow up on PRC?
QUESTION: China. China and Russia will hold joint military exercises in the East China Sea from this week to next week. What do you think is the purpose of the training?
MR PRICE: Well, I understand that these are annual drills that the PRC and Russia participate in. I understand that these drills have been going on for about ten years. So, while this is not new, these particular drills, we have no secret of our concerns about the relationship between China, and the PRC – the alignment of the PRC especially with Russia, and Moscow continuing its brutal war, illegal against Ukraine. We have heard the PRC claim to be neutral in this conflict, but its behavior, including what we are seeing here, makes it clear that it is still investing in close ties with Russia. We have warned the PRC not to provide military aid or systematic assistance to Russia to avoid the sanctions imposed on Moscow by countries around the world as a result of its brutal invasion of its peaceful neighbor.
We are closely monitoring Beijing’s activity in this particular area, but more broadly the world is watching closely to see which countries stand for the basic principles of freedom, sovereignty, self-determination, independence which are only at the heart of the international system for the last eight years but which – in fact is the basis of the UN system and the UN Charter which has been endorsed by 200 countries around the world, which have invested in them, which helped to create it after the Second World War. World War.
The PRC has enormous influence in Russia, not only in the partnership they have expanded in recent years, but in their economic ties, their political ties, their security ties. We and the rest of the world hope to see the PRC using constructive leverage. We have seen several cases and we welcome that. The statement by the PRC – the restatement, I should say – of the Cold War axiom that a nuclear war can never be won and must be fought – that restatement we welcomed because it showed clearly there were countries. around the world would not accept the use of nuclear weapons and they were very worried even by the irresponsible rhetoric we had heard coming from Russia.
We certainly hope that the PRC uses its influence to help end this brutal war, but steps like this are not helpful. They don’t move us closer to that.
QUESTION: One more. Last Sunday North Korea fired two medium-range ballistic missiles. Can you tell us specifically what type of missile it is?
MR PRICE: I am not prepared to offer a detailed assessment. These were ballistic missile launches. These were launches that violate multiple UN Security Council resolutions, as we said about other ballistic missile launches. We believe they are a threat to the region and the international community in general.
Our commitments to the defense of the ROK, the Republic of Korea, as well as Japan remain unwavering, and we remain committed to doing everything we can to make that clear even as we try to make it clear to the DPRK we will not touch any. hostile intent, that we are committed to a diplomatic approach. And we continue to ask the DPRK to meet with us and our continued calls for practical and pragmatic diplomacy to address this challenge.
QUESTION: Quick follow up on PRC. I am going to move to Ukraine after that. Will the behavior of the PRC between now and the next few weeks, and talks with him – upcoming talks with Putin, factor into the Secretary’s trip to China?
MR PRICE: I am sure that when the Secretary travels to Beijing, which we still hope will happen early next year, Russia’s war against Ukraine will be on the agenda. Russia’s war against Ukraine has been on the agenda since long before it began. The threat of a Russian attack was on the agenda before February 24, when Secretary Blinken spoke to his counterpart. You all also recall that President Biden had the opportunity to speak with President Xi long before the Russian war began. From February 24 it is also high on the agenda, and our message is simple.
We hope and expect that the PRC will not assist Moscow’s efforts by providing security assistance or by helping Moscow to systematically evade sanctions, we will be watching closely, and more broadly the whole world will be watching. keen to see where the PRC comes from. on these issues that are near and dear to countries around the world, the principles at the heart of the UN Charter. So far we have seen Moscow – or, excuse me, Beijing trying to have it both ways to some extent, but not both ways on this particular issue.
Countries around the world, including the United States, but countries in the Indo-Pacific and elsewhere, will want to hear that the PRC really believes in and upholds the principles that have been at the heart of its foreign policy for many years. down – independence. , territorial integrity, sovereignty. This is what the PRC has consistently felt it would stand up for within the UN system, within the international system, and countries around the world will want to see that it really has meaning, that it means this is something for the PRC and not only these. words.
QUESTION: Thank you. Waiting for Ukraine, Russia again (inaudible) kamikaze drones on Ukraine. (Inaudible) focus on Kyiv because you just tweeted a Conflict Observatory report on Kyiv falling into darkness. What does it tell you about Russia’s war strategy? What new have we learned from this report? I’ve read the report too – thanks for posting it – but I haven’t seen anything about where the drones are coming from, Iran. Does this make, say, Iranian trainers in Donbas, in Crimea, a legitimate target for Ukraine?
MR PRICE: A couple of things in your question then. First, about the strategy. What it tells us is that President Putin’s strategy has failed. President Putin thought before February 24 that he could deploy his forces, send them into Kiev, and within six hours or six days at most be in control of the country basically, be de facto leader of Ukraine, trying to force the government. Kyiv, trying to dominate the people of Ukraine.
Of course, we are now nine, ten months ago, and it is clear that President Putin’s aims have failed and therefore his strategy has changed. Brutality is now a necessary strategy. It is a strategy that seeks, as the Secretary said, to weaponize the winter – continuing the infrastructure, going after what the people of Ukraine need to survive the cold winter, asking for heat, water, electricity remove them. basic services.
Meanwhile, President Putin’s strategy has changed; we have ours too. We are continuing to provide our partners in Ukraine with exactly what they need to take on the battle in which it is currently being waged. But just as President Putin has brought his battle to Ukrainian cities, to civilian infrastructure targets, we are providing our Ukrainian partner with what they need to protect those targets with a heavy emphasis on air defense systems. Since the early days of this war, we have provided Stingers and other air defense systems. Of course, in recent months, we have provided more sophisticated and more capable systems, which are able to protect energy infrastructure and the goals that Moscow is pursuing, including the NASAMS that we talked about to some extent.
You raise the issue of Iran’s supply of UAVs to Russia. It is clear that these UAVs are being used to deadly and lethal effect. Even when they are not lethal – when they cannot be lethal in the first place through the attack, they intend to inflict suffering and ultimately death by depriving the people of Ukraine of heat, water and electricity during the winter.
Our partners in Ukraine have been effective in intercepting a good number of these drones during any given attack. In some cases, they were able to shoot down more than half of these drones. But the fact that a single drone is capable of evading air defense systems and inflicting such damage and brutality is just a reminder of the stakes. It is a reminder of these barbaric tactics that President Putin and his enablers, including his enablers in Tehran, are aiding.
Right now, to your question, the battle is raging in the south, in the east, in the north as well. We are providing our partners in Ukraine with what they need to succeed. And they succeeded in that counterattack. We – Secretary Blinken were in Kiev last time in September this year. At that time, it was only a few hours before his arrival when the counter-conviction began. We received a briefing from the country team and our embassy in Kyiv, and later that day we received a briefing from President Zelenskyy and his team.
At the time, I think they had moved 40 kilometers beyond the front lines, and now it is remarkable to see the effectiveness of the counterattack, the square mileage – thousands of square miles – that our Ukrainian partners threw back from the occupiers of Russia, to bring to an end the fight that Moscow tried to annex, tried to include, tried to occupy, of course with results that speak for themselves.
QUESTION: (Inaudible) on Ukraine —
QUESTION: Does Ukraine have the right to target Iran – as we have asked before – on Iranian targets or also on Russian positions in Donbas, in Crimea, when it strikes back and the US forces in use?
MR PRICE: Ukraine has the right to defend its territory, and any target on Ukraine’s sovereign territory is, by definition, self-defense.
QUESTION: Just following up on this issue, former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger called for negotiations to begin and said the only outcome of the negotiated settlement is a call to dismiss at Kyiv. They called the attacker and so on. Do you think his call is mocking the attacker?
MR PRICE: Well, Mr Kissinger was speaking as a private citizen. I am often reluctant – always reluctant, I should say – to characterize the opinions of private citizens. I will do it here only to say that we firmly believe that Ukraine, and Ukraine alone, has the right to decide about its future. We believe, as does President Zelenskyy, that this war will eventually end through dialogue and diplomacy. President Zelenskyy himself has outlined a vision for a just peace. We believe in the need for a just and lasting peace.
Unfortunately, we did not see any meaningful reciprocation from Moscow. I made this point before, but just as President Zelenskyy was describing his vision of just peace to world leaders gathered in Bali in November, another brutal attack by Russian drones, missiles and bombs hit infrastructure within hours. goals, a continuous increase in this phase of the conflict that began in October and continues today, continuing even in recent hours.
QUESTION: Can I move on to another topic?
MR PRICE: Absolutely. Anything else on Russia or Ukraine?
QUESTION: Yes. According to some reports, you ask Greece to send the S-300 to Ukraine and Greece accepted your proposal. In this case, are you willing to give some Patriotism to the Greeks?
MR PRICE: Well, we always defer to individual countries regarding any contributions they may have or are making to Ukraine’s self-defense. But we certainly recognize the profound threat Ukraine faces from the air. Our NATO Allies – Greece, of course – recognize that too.
It’s always a topic of discussion when we talk to our partners in Ukraine about what they need to protect their people, to protect their country, from the air. It was a goal – sorry. It was the subject of a discussion in Bucharest by the NATO minister late last month. And so we’re continuing to look at ways, together with our allies and partners, to help Ukraine in the best and most effective way to protect its people, to protect its population, to protect its broader infrastructure protection from these attacks.
Each country will have to decide for itself what it can and prepare – and is willing to provide to Ukraine. We certainly appreciate the many ways in which the international community, including Greece, has shown their support and succeeded.
There are times – and sometimes we have pointed these out publicly; you may recall that Slovakia, in the early days of this conflict, made the decision to supply Ukraine with an S-300 air defense system. We were able to help support and facilitate that contribution by backfilling Slovakia’s needs. There are some cases where countries do this and we don’t talk about it publicly. But we’re looking at ways, whether it’s by providing security assistance directly to Ukraine — the roughly $20 billion we’ve provided since the beginning of this administration — or in some cases what we can do, what we can provide to other countries. they can then supply Ukraine with their goods and supplies.
QUESTION: Thank you. Moving to the Palestinian issue. In a lengthy interview with Haaretz, Ambassador Nides reiterated the US’s intention to reopen the consulate in East Jerusalem. The question for you is: When? I mean, it’s been a few years. What are the obstacles to reopening the consulate?
MR PRICE: Well, he reiterated that commitment because we are determined to follow through on it. We are committed to reopening our consulate general in Jerusalem. We continue to believe that reopening this facility would put the United States in the best position to reach out to and support the Palestinian people. And we will continue to discuss this issue with our Palestinian and Israeli partners, and we will continue to consult with Congress on it as well.
Even as we work to fulfill this promise that you have heard from the Secretary, that you have heard from the President and others, we have a dedicated team of colleagues working in Jerusalem, in our Office of Palestinian Affairs. They are focused on engagement and outreach to Palestinians on a day-to-day basis.
QUESTION: Quick related issue. Palestinian human rights lawyer Salah Hammouri has been deported by the Israelis because he is a French citizen. Are you afraid that this – they can use this, since this was done by the ministry of the interior, or the Minister of the interior and so on – that this will set a precedent to deport the Jerusalemites ? Are you worried about this question?
MR PRICE: A few things on this then. We have heard the statements from the Israeli Government that this decision was made out of concern for Israel’s security. We are unable to evaluate this claim, but we refer you to the Government of Israel for further information – regarding their basis for these actions – for this action. For our part, of course we recognize the real security challenges facing Israel, and we have reaffirmed our commitment to Israel’s security. It is, in fact, ironclad. However, we are concerned about the practice of deportation and revocation of residency, and the threat that such policies may have on the demographic character of Jerusalem.
Regarding your question about any wider implications of this beyond this isolated situation, we are of course very concerned about any wider practice of revoking residency and expulsion from East Jerusalem. But I hasten to add that it does not seem like what is happening here.
QUESTION: And finally, you expressed concern last week and called out the Israelis who are investigating the killing of 16-year-old Jana Zakarneh. Have you heard anything from the Israelites on this matter? (inaudible) back?
MR PRICE: Our condolences to the family of Jana Zakarneh. We noticed that the IDF had issued a statement; Prime Minister Bennett had also issued a statement. We know they are reviewing; we certainly hope that this review will come to an end with accountability. We have raised the issue ourselves. It is not for us to speak about what we have heard privately from our Israeli partners, but we express our condolences and the hope and expectation that this investigation will end in terms of accountability.
QUESTION: Mr. Price, three questions. One is about Tom West’s journey. Any update? Due to events with the Afghan delegation, including former President Karzai.
And number two: It was reported today that Moscow invited Ahmad Massoud and Acting Minister of Defense Yaqoob, Mullah Yaqoob. Any comments on that?
And also, the Taliban beating women and some of the people from the north in Afghanistan, very bad. It is a form of insult. Any comments on that?
MR PRICE: Thank you, Nazira. So first on Tom West’s recent trip to the UAE, to Japan, to India – we talked about this; I believe last week – this was a trip to meet government colleagues, to meet the media and civil society, as well as business and community leaders involved in Afghanistan. He discussed, during the trip but especially in the UAE, shared interests in Afghanistan with our Emirati colleagues, including, as we always do, the rights of the Afghan people – their women, their minorities of all kinds – of all kinds ; the rights of women and girls to education; the need for economic stability; our focus on security challenges and the need to ensure that Afghanistan does not again become a safe haven for international terrorism – and an emphasis on our humanitarian support for the Afghan people.
As we always do, Tom West reached out to a range of stakeholders. He met Hamid Karzai. He also met former Governor Balkh Atta when he was in the UAE. We think it is important that we hear from a wide range of voices that represent the Afghan people and Afghan perspectives. That’s something we do here in this country when it comes to the Afghan diaspora, but it’s something we do all over the world, and especially in the Gulf, where we’re able to hear from Afghans who spend a lot of time or all their time. inside Afghanistan. We think that attitude is important.
I’m not going to talk about Russia’s involvement with activists or other Afghan voices but to reiterate that we think it’s important that the international community hears from stakeholders across Afghanistan as we engage with stakeholders across Afghanistan. – is representative of the people of Afghanistan.
The – what we have seen – the images we have seen from Afghanistan; the floggings, the public executions; of course the clear, obvious, violent, barbaric violations of human rights are of great concern to all of us. They go back to an earlier era, to an era that no Afghanistan or Afghanistan as a whole certainly wants to return to, an Afghanistan that lacked opportunity, that lacked stability, that lacked security, that certainly lacked prosperity.
In all our dealings with the Taliban, human rights are at the top of the agenda. Of course we remind them, not only of the commitments they have made to the United States but, more importantly, of their commitment to the people of Afghanistan to uphold their fundamental and universal rights, which the Taliban have failed to do. .
Just as it is a matter of the Taliban themselves in our limited engagement with them, we spend much more time consulting with partners around the world. That’s exactly what Tom West was doing in the UAE, Japan, India too. That is exactly what we do with the UN. Rina Amiri, our special envoy for Afghan women and girls, was recently in Indonesia, where she represented the United States at the International Conference on Afghan Women’s Education co-hosted by Indonesia and Qatar. In every capacity – in every forum, we use our presence to press the case for the human rights of the Afghan people and to press the case for ways in which we can hold the Taliban accountable for their failure to deliver on those promises. .
QUESTION: But the Taliban never listens. They don’t fix themselves and instead of fixing themselves they insult – more insults to women. And the people of Afghanistan too, they are very upset. They say that they get 40 – more than $ 40 million every week, and that the United States has no influence on the Taliban. “Hey, respect women, or we sanction you.”
MR PRICE: Well, the Taliban is still very much tolerated, of course, and we are not prepared to improve our relationship with the Taliban until and unless they start to live up to the promises they have made to the people of Afghanistan. We will consider additional accountability measures, including sanctions, if it comes to that.
The other important point, however, Nazira, is that we are not directly funding the Taliban. We are providing hundreds of millions of dollars directly to the people of Afghanistan, deliberately avoiding the Taliban to ensure that the humanitarian funding, the funding provided by the American people, does not go through their coffers. It is not diverted to their wallets and bank accounts, but instead gets to the people of Afghanistan where they need it most.
The same is true for the Afghanistan Fund, the fund established by the United States with the support of partners in the international community, the $3.5 billion provided for the macroeconomic needs of Afghanistan. That too – there are strict checks on that funding and any possible disbursements from that funding to see that there is no diversion to the Taliban.
MR PRICE: Let me move around a bit. Yes.
QUESTION: To follow up on Nazira’s question, I’m sure you’ve heard former Secretary Hillary Clinton talking about Ashraf Ghani escaping with cash stashes to the UAE. That money belonged to the American people. Will there be something to recover that money from people like Ashraf Ghani and many others that I have personally reported on as well as some other journalists too, that there are officials or contractors who have been looted for 20 years down? US Government and they kept their money over there in the UAE. Is the State Department going to take action about them?
MR PRICE: I can’t talk about any specific demands, but I can say that the Afghan economy and the Afghan state in general have been under the pressure of corruption for a long time. It was obviously a challenge before August last year. Of course it remains a challenge with the Taliban under at least de facto control. Yes – the United States and the Afghan government have previously had a focus on anti-corruption. We have been – we have given good support to the Afghan government in the past to help them with this challenge, to see that the Afghan government in the past – has been an effective steward of the revenue that it has collected from the people of Afghanistan.
Of course those kinds of programs are in – they are no longer possible with the Taliban in de facto control of at least all of Afghanistan. But we will continue to work with international partners to do what we can to ensure that what is right – what rightfully belongs to the Afghan people or remains in the hands of the Afghan people.
QUESTION: And Ned, one more question. Just as Nazira said, in Afghanistan the violation of human rights is increasing day by day. In Pakistan, I don’t know if you know from the past – just two days ago, one police station was attacked and four police officers were killed. The TTP currently has a counter-terrorism department, which is now under siege by parliament. So do you see in the next few days any drones over the sky or under the sky coming back to the region and targeting these terrorist groups, or has the situation not gotten worse yet?
MR PRICE: Well, firstly about the ongoing situation in Pakistan, of course we know. We are closely following reports that the militants have taken control of the anti-terror center in Bannu. Our heartfelt condolences to those who were injured.
We call on those responsible for the attack to end all acts of violence, to safely release those still held hostage, and to end the seizure of the anti-terrorist center. Of course, we refer you to the Government of Pakistan for details on this ongoing situation. But the broader point is that the Government of Pakistan is a partner in these shared challenges, including the challenge of terrorist groups – terrorist groups within Afghanistan, terrorist groups along the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
We have partnered with our Pakistani friends to take on this challenge – to help them take on this challenge. We are ready to help, whether with this emerging situation or more broadly. But this is a case where we would have to refer you to the Pakistani authorities.
QUESTION: Only the last one. Two days ago, Pakistan’s foreign minister called the Indian prime minister “the butcher of Gujarat” in New York. Ironically, I asked Mr. Kirby the same question six years ago when, for the first time, Mr. Modi was coming to the U.S. I had said that Modi was not getting a U.S. visa now, would he be allowed. come to u.s.
For all these years, don’t you think that the strategic partnership with India has had some kind of impact on the human rights things that the US stands for, the rights of minorities – like Modi is treating how Muslims have been treated ever since. a few years? Even the former prime minister, Mr. Singh, had tweeted about it.
The same thing with Ukraine, when you look at it. They are still supplying – buying large quantities of oil from Russia, from India. But this strategic alliance, it seemed to have an impact or at least is projecting the image of the US while forcing the US to compromise some of its human rights things that the US basically stands for.
MR PRICE: We have a global strategic partnership with India. I have just spoken about the depth of our partnership with Pakistan. These relationships stand alone; it is not zero sum. We see the importance – the absolute necessity – of maintaining valuable partnerships with both our Indian and Pakistani friends. What each of these relationships is about – we don’t look at them in comparison to the other. Each of these relationships also happens to be multifaceted.
So, even as we deepen our global strategic partnership with India, we also – we also have a relationship where we can be honest and frank with each other. Where we have disagreements or concerns, we express those just as we would with our Pakistani friends as well.
QUESTION: Following? Thank you, Ned.
QUESTION: Raghubir Goyal. Going back, as far as diplomacy and relations between the US and India are concerned, Secretary Blinken is a household name in India because of the relations between the US and India and the diplomacy between the two countries.
One, I want to say what you think or what the Prime Minister thinks right now – Secretary Blinken about the relationship between the United States and India. But also, at the same time, last week, and a friend told me, and there was a strong argument at the United Nations Security Council between the two countries – between the – Indian and Pakistan, also between the two ministers of affairs India and Pakistan’s foreign ministers blamed each. another. India’s Foreign Minister said that Pakistan is supporting terrorism, and then Pakistan’s Foreign Minister said so and so and “butcher” and called Prime Minister Modi names. And I think Foreign Minister Bilwal, here in Washington tomorrow, or he’s already here and he’s making – a lot of promises. My question is: He named Prime Minister Modi, and back home in Pakistan. His foreign minister claimed – India’s threat with nuclear weapons, that we have nuclear weapons and that we are – that they are only showing off and that we can use them. What I’m asking you – when Secretary Blinken is in contact with both countries – so what do you think now? And what do you think about this and how will he deal with many regional countries when he visits that? The situation between India and Pakistan is also extremely heated back home, so where do we stand now as far as the United States is concerned? I’m sorry.
MR PRICE: A few things like that. Number one, we have a global strategic partnership, as I said before, with India. Also talked about the deep partnership we have with Pakistan. These relationships are not zero sum in our mind. We do not view them in relation to each other. All of them are absolutely necessary for us and to advance and pursue our shared goals with India, our shared goals with Pakistan, the shared goals that all three of us share.
The fact that we have partnerships with both countries means that we do not want to see a war of words between India and Pakistan. We want to see a constructive dialogue between India and Pakistan. We think that is in the interest of the people of Pakistan, and in the interest of the people of India. There is a lot of work we can do together bilaterally. There are, of course, differences that need to be addressed between India and Pakistan. The United States is ready to help as a partner to both.
QUESTION: Can I fast track one? I asked that question the other day. Mr. Patel was very nice and kind during the briefing. But if I may ask again, how seriously is Secretary Blinken taking Prime Minister Modi’s comments that he told President Putin to end the war and that this is not the time for games or play military use and all that? And what role do you think, Secretary, Prime Minister Modi or India can play in ending the war between Russia and India – I mean Russia and Ukraine, superpower invading a smaller country (inaudible), Ukraine?
MR PRICE: Well, countries around the world welcomed what we heard from Prime Minister Modi that this is not the era of war. I think it is significant that the communication that came from the G20 also had a very similar language – I think it is a testament that this is a language and that this was a call in this country, in South Asia, in Europe, and throughout the deep . The United States certainly welcomes.
It is also important because India has a relationship with Russia that the United States does not. For years, India – I should say Russia was willing to be a partner with India in a way that the United States was not at the time. Of course, that has changed in recent years. It is a bipartisan legacy of the last several administrations, perhaps beginning especially with the administration of President George W. Bush, that the United States has become our first-choice partner for India. A lot of good things can be done together, not only for our two countries but around the world, and I think we will see a good example of that in the coming year, when India will host the G20. I know that we will have the opportunity to travel to India, to be in close contact with India in the context of the G20, and we will be able to see what cooperation between our two countries and a wider set of countries can provide.
QUESTION: Moving over to China, I’m just wondering, is there anything — given the speed and scale of the COVID outbreak right now, I’m wondering if there’s anything you can share about the Department’s assessment of how that outbreak is going. , how it is likely to spread, and any impact you see. And I also think, is the United States concerned that China may not be fully transparent about the COVID numbers, the cases, and also the deaths that we’re seeing in China right now.
MR PRICE: So, a few things about this. First, we are not an epidemiological agency. I can barely pronounce the word, so I won’t be able to offer those figures from here. We would have to refer you elsewhere for those. But with regard to the current outbreak in China, we want this to be addressed. We hope that our Chinese partners, the Chinese are able to face it, and we hope for several reasons.
First of all, any time there is death and sickness anywhere in the world, we want to see such a situation come to an end. Regarding COVID, secondly, we know that any time the virus is spreading, it is in the wild, it could mutate and threaten people everywhere. We have seen it during the many different permutations of this virus and certainly another reason why we are so focused on helping countries around the world fight against COVID, another reason why it would be beneficial to bring this to fruition in China.
But thirdly, the toll of the virus is a concern for the rest of the world given the size of China’s GDP, given the size of the Chinese economy. Not only is it good for China to be in a stronger position vis-à-vis COVID, but it is also good for the rest of the world. We – the United States continues to lead countries around the world in providing vaccines and helping countries overcome the virus crisis. We certainly hope that will soon be the case in the PRC as well.
QUESTION: I have another question. According to reports, Germany hosted a private meeting in Brussels between top advisers to the Greek prime minister and the Turkish president. They discussed, as we understand, the rapprochement of the two countries. Can you give us an opinion on this? Do you have anything to say?
MR PRICE: I don’t. I would need to refer you to Germany for comments on that.
QUESTION: I know we’ve already discussed Ukraine, but could you — could you say anything about Putin’s trip to — President Putin’s trip to Belarus? A few things there. First of all, there has been some talk about whether Russia will try to get a more direct role from Belarus in the war in Ukraine. Also, Putin made some comments some time ago saying that Russia has no intention of absorbing Belarus and said why would anyone think that? Do you have any reactions?
MR PRICE: Absolutely. I saw that headline just as I was coming down here. The reported claim from President Putin that he does not intend, as you said, to absorb anyone in his talks with the president – with Lukashenka, look, I think a statement like that has to be treated as height the irony coming from a leader who wants to right now, right now, violently absorb his next door neighbor. We have heard these statements from President Putin. At the same time, since the early days of this conflict and the weeks leading up to this conflict, the Lukashenka regime has essentially surrendered its sovereignty, surrendered its independence to Russia. We saw the mass of Russian forces inside the sovereign territory of Belarus. We have seen attacks launched from the sovereign territory of Belarus. And now we hear these comments from President Putin and Lukashenka, but I think the track record is much higher than anything these two leaders could say.
MR PRICE: Let me move around to people I didn’t call.
QUESTION: Ned, thank you. Going back to North Korea, last month during the summit between the United States, ROK, Japan, they agreed to share DPRK missile warning data in real time. So I’m wondering if — has this activity worked effectively every time DPRK launched its missile, including yesterday?
MR PRICE: Well, I can say that we have almost constant communication with our Japanese and ROK allies. That is certainly true in the wake of the DPRK provocation. We are in communication from the State Department. We are communicating from the Department of Defense, from other parts of this administration as well. But for the technical details of any early warning system, I would have to refer you to the Department of Defense.
QUESTION: Thank you very much. Jahanzaib Ali, ARY News in Pakistan. Tehrik-e Taliban of Pakistan launched massive attacks on Pakistani security forces and Pakistani civilians. As you recently talked about the current situation right now – what kind of assistance can you offer to Pakistan to defeat this terrorist group? Because we have seen that the United States has the ability to track down these terrorist groups and destroy them, as we see the leadership of al-Qaida. So what kind of help can you offer to Pakistan to overthrow this Pakistan Tehrik-e Taliban?
MR PRICE: Well, of course, Pakistan is an important security partner. There are groups that are present in Afghanistan, in the Afghanistan-Pakistan border region that are a clear threat as we see not only to Pakistan but to countries and people further afield. So we are in regular dialogue with our Pakistani partners. We are ready to help them deal with the threats they face, but I think the details of that cooperation are best left to diplomatic channels.
QUESTION: You just talked about Pakistan-India, not just the war of words, their tension on the border, their (inaudible) tension leadership. What kind of message will you give to the leadership of the two countries to bring peace to the region?
MR PRICE: I’m sorry. What type –
QUESTION: — will you give your leadership of the two countries to bring peace to that region?
MR PRICE: Well, I think the message is, just as I said to your colleague, that both Pakistan and India are partners of the United States. As with any of our partners, we want to see a constructive relationship between them. It’s always a concern when we see tension building, when we see escalation in words, in dialogue. We want to see countries – certainly, we want to see our partners working together to achieve common goals.
QUESTION: Sir, the main reason for the tension between two countries is the Kashmir occupied by India – you know about it – former President Trump offered the role of mediator between India and Pakistan to resolve the issue of Resolve Kashmir. What is the current administration’s policy on Kashmir?
MR PRICE: Our policy is that this is an issue that both India and Pakistan must address. We are willing to support if the parties wish to do so, but this is a matter for India and Pakistan to consider.
MR PRICE: Let me go back to – yes.
QUESTION: Thank you, Ned. I have two questions. One concerns a session today at the Security Council regarding the implementation of Resolution 2231. Mr. Guterres’ report is already out, and we know that he has decided for now that he is not going to raise the issue of whether the drone sale with the Islamic Republic it is with Russia. it is against 2231 or not against that. He only mentioned twice that he is under study. They are still gathering information and he will talk about it later.
So what’s your answer to that? Because you, and European allies, are pushing that this is against 2231. So how are you going to respond to that?
MR PRICE: Well, before this briefing started, at least the report wasn’t out. It may have come out in the past hour. I understand that the United Nations Security Council will have a session at 3 o’clock today. I haven’t seen the report, if it’s actually out yet, so I’ll reserve judgment until we have a chance to look at it.
But as we’ve said before, Russia’s acquisition of UAVs from Iran violates UN Security Council Resolution 2231 and specifically the restrictions the resolution places on the transfer of missile-related technology to or from Iran. It was adopted in July 2015. It established critical restrictions on Iran that would last for a period of years. And all the members of the council, including, of course, Russia as a Permanent Member of the Security Council, voted for it. Russia itself was involved in negotiating the provisions of 2231.
Meanwhile, in violation of UN Security Council Resolution 2231, Iran provided Russia with drones that are now being used by Moscow to target and destroy Ukrainian civilians. We have provided information in this regard; that has been made available publicly, it has been made available – it has also been made available within the UN system. Russia, in violation of 2231 for its part, provided them. There is no doubt that the move took place without prior approval on a case-by-case basis from the council, and is therefore a violation of Resolution 2231.
We, together with our partners, reported these violations to the UN Security Council in accordance with the procedures set out in UN Security Council Resolution 2231, and the UN secretary has mandated under this resolution to investigate Allegations of violations of this resolution generally follow reports. by the Member States, which actually happened – the reports of violations. There is ample precedent for the UN secretariat to conduct independent investigations as part of this mandate to report on implementation, and as we have said before, we encourage the secretariat to continue to document and analyze information regarding the breach of this.
QUESTION: I have another question about internet freedom – free internet for the people of Iran. You gave a statement today, a very clear, very long, transparent statement that is very clear, but my question is about the outcome of that group of experts that the US set up with the European Council. Do you think, based on the current report that you have or the reports to come, is there any possibility that the allies of the United States and Europe, for example, would make a joint plan of action for the people of Iran to support their access to the internet free based on those reports. coming from that group?
MR PRICE: Well, the United States and many of our partners around the world, including our partners in Europe, have taken individual steps to help the ability of the Iranian people to communicate with each other and with the outside world. facilitate. For us, we talked about the issuance of a D-2 General License, which gives technology companies the ability to ship hardware and software needed by the Iranian people to Iran on a self-execution basis – that is, without the need to obtain a permit from the Treasury Department to do so.
If there are steps we can take, relevant steps we can take with our European partners, we will of course look at those. But we encourage countries around the world to stand with those brave protesters in Iran who are expressing rights that are as universal to them as they are to people around the world. It has always been the policy of the United States to stand on the side of those who exercise their rights peacefully. We are doing that here. We have encouraged countries around the world to do the same, and we will work with countries around the world to do the same.
QUESTION: Yesterday you called Tunisia’s parliamentary elections “an initial step.” How can an election with the highest (inaudible) voter turnout in recent Tunisian history for a largely toothless parliament not be considered a step backwards for Tunisian democracy?
MR PRICE: Well, first of all, you heard this from Secretary Blinken last week when he met with President Saied, and he said this publicly. We stand with the people of Tunisia. We remain committed to the long-standing partnership between the US and Tunisia. We noted in yesterday’s statement that the parliamentary elections that took place in Tunisia over the weekend could put the country back on the path, put it back towards a democratic path. But I think we have to be honest that elections alone do not equal democracy. The – what you mentioned, of course, is a sign of dissatisfaction among the Tunisian people. We were also very clear about that: the low voter turnout shows the need for the Tunisian Government to engage in a more inclusive process, and engage in a more inclusive process in the future to further expand political participation. And we will continue to support the aspirations of the Tunisian people for an accountable democratic government that protects free expression, including dissent, and supports civil society.
We also at the same time call on the Tunisian Government to take urgent measures to address the current economic crisis and achieve long-term stability and prosperity for all Tunisians.
QUESTION: I’m sorry to go back a little bit on Belarus, but with regard to the prospect of an increase in military aid from that country to Russia, does the State Department assess what might be different in Ukraine? And is the State Department trying to do anything to oppose any increased aid that might be received on the battlefield?
MR PRICE: Well, we will continue to watch very closely, and because we have watched very closely the level of compliance, the level of cooperation between the Lukashenka regime and the Kremlin is clearly visible. That is why Lukashenka’s regime is now subject to sanctions. We will seek additional means to hold Belarus accountable if it continues to cooperate with the Kremlin in this brutal war.
Remind me of the second – the rest of your question.
QUESTION: Whether or not he could be a difference maker in Ukraine.
MR PRICE: In – look, we’ll continue to watch closely. We have thwarted President Putin’s aims at every step of the way. He thought at first, as I said before, that he would have the country within hours or days of the 24th of February. Of course that didn’t happen. He called for a partial mobilization, mobilizing up to several hundred thousand Russians, to fight them. That’s obviously not a difference maker. He turned to Iran, he could turn elsewhere, including the DPRK, for security assistance and supplies to be used against the people of Ukraine. The result was to turn the entire tide of the battle, even as they inflicted massive damage across Ukraine.
As he has changed his tactics, I think we have seen time and time again that his aims, even if they have become narrower and smaller, have been compromised by them. And so regardless of what he does, we will continue to provide Ukraine with what it needs. And we are confident, regardless of what we see, that the armed forces of Ukraine, the people of Ukraine will be resilient, that they will be committed to regaining their sovereignty, their independence, their territorial integrity.
QUESTION: Can I follow up on this one, please?
QUESTION: I know you said that – thank you very much. I know you said you were watching, but do you have any red lines that you would like to point out to Belarus? I’m asking because there are two warning signs. One is that Putin said today that they are going to – they promised closer cooperation to overcome Western sanctions. And secondly, Belarusian opposition leader Tsikhanouskaya said that the chances of Belarus sending troops into Ukraine will increase in the coming weeks.
MR PRICE: Well, we will continue to watch closely. And our concern remains that despite what we hear from President Putin, despite what we hear from Lukashenka and his regime, President Putin was able to use Belarus as a launching pad for his brutal war in the face of Ukraine, mobilizing forces on what should be. the sovereign territory of Ukraine, launching attacks from the sovereign territory of Ukraine into Belarus. Whether Belarus further supports Putin’s war in Ukraine is something we will be paying very close attention to. And if we see it, if we see the potential, we will respond appropriately to impose additional measures to hold the Lukashenka regime accountable for its fundamental complicity in President Putin’s war against Ukraine.
QUESTION: Could I – quick question about Jordan?
MR PRICE: Let me take one question in the back from Kristina, if you haven’t already.
QUESTION: Yes, the director of international law at the Center for Biological Diversity, Tanya Sanerib, claimed – that the conservation of biodiversity and the prevention of pathogen spread must go hand in hand to prevent the next pandemic. Did we miss an opportunity, perhaps, to push China to join us in a resolution – asking for a resolution during COP15, trying to eliminate the risk of a pathogen effect in order to make progress towards the goal of ending pandemics?
MR PRICE: I don’t know that we will talk about a missed opportunity in the context of COP15 when COP15 actually came – which is a great success and an ambitious goal for the rest of the world, or the world, by 2030. when it comes to biodiversity. Now, no one ever expected one convention, one meeting to be a panacea. I think that is the case here. The protection of biodiversity, including other tools and tactics, will be high on the Department’s agenda. I know that our special envoy, our assistant secretary for our OES bureau, will still be involved in this. And if there are ways we can work with countries around the world, including the PRC, to achieve that goal, we will not hesitate to do so.
QUESTION: Yeah, I just wanted to ask Jordan a quick question, do you have any comment on the violence that happened in the last few days, and three security people were killed and so on. Are you in touch – I mean, Jordan is a close friend and you do a lot of security coordination. So do you have any comment on what is happening?
MR PRICE: As we do around the world, we respect and support the right of individuals to engage in peaceful protest. That is true in Jordan. That is as true in Jordan as it is anywhere in the world. Of course we condemn the violence, we demand de-escalation, but it is the right of individuals to exercise their universal rights, which we really stand for universally.
QUESTION: Okay, thank you.
(The briefing ended at 3:10 p.m.)
What are 2 responsibilities of the state government?
Police departments, libraries, and schools—not to mention driver’s licenses and parking tickets—typically fall under the oversight of State and local governments. Each state has its own written constitution, and these documents are often much more detailed than their Federal counterpart.
What are the two responsibilities of state agencies? One responsibility of state agencies is to ensure that funds and assistance are appropriately distributed to those in need and benefit in accordance with statutory law and executive direction. On the same subject : I am a travel agent specializing in cruises and my job has changed during the summer of chaos. Another responsibility of state agencies is to maintain prison systems that are not run by the federal government.
What are 2 responsibilities of the federal government?
The national (also called federal) government makes laws for the whole country. It is responsible for areas of national interest such as immigration, defense and trade with other countries.
What are 5 responsibilities or powers of the state government?
property ownership. education of residents. implement welfare and other benefit programs and distribute aid. To see also : International attitudes towards the USA, NATO and Russia in times of crisis. protect people from local threats.
What are 2 powers of the state government?
State Government Powers: To establish local governments. Regulation of intrastate commerce. Read also : Francis Collins on trust in science and how Covid communication failed. Conduct of elections.
What are the two most important functions of the state?
Answer: Provision of justice and maintenance of law and order are the two most important roles played by the state to ensure the safety of its citizens and the nation as a whole.
What is the function of each state?
What are the most important functions in a state?
State Functions
- Governance. The management of the public sector is a unique but necessary challenge which is the cornerstone of the comprehensive compact between the state and its citizens. …
- Market Participation. …
- Security. …
- Infrastructure. …
- Rule The law. …
- Human Capital. …
- Public Financial Management. …
- Citizen Participation.
What are two functions of the state government?
The five functions of state government are: revenue collections, the judicial system, education, federal mandates, and transportation.
What are the 7 responsibilities of a US citizen?
Responsibilities
- Support and defend the Constitution.
- Stay informed about the issues that affect your community.
- Participate in the democratic process.
- Respect and comply with federal, state and local laws.
- Respect the rights, beliefs and opinions of others.
- Get involved in your local community.
Who is a responsible citizen explain in 10 points? A responsible citizen obeys all law and order of the country. They are entitled to exercise all the basic rights and duties, such as voting, paying government taxes and protecting the country from corruption.
