US Department of State REMARKS WITH RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTER SERGEY LAVROV

Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State
Osobnyak Guest House
Moscow, Russia
October 13, 2009

FOREIGN MINISTER LAVROV: (In Russian.)

SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, good afternoon. I want to start by thanking
Minister Lavrov for hosting me in Moscow today, along with my
delegation. We have had a very productive and comprehensive set of
discussions. This follows on the work that we began over the last
many months to transform the relationship between our two countries,
to find common ground wherever we can, to further mutual respect and
mutual interests, without in any way accepting the fact that there
are not differences between us, because there are. But to talk about
those differences, to share them openly, we think is also an important
part of this new aspect to our relationship.

Just three days ago, Sergey and I were in Zurich working together to
bring about the signing of the historic protocols between Armenia and
Turkey regarding normalization of relations. Both of our countries
strongly support this process, and it’s another example of how we
are working together.

We believe that the framework that has been established that was
announced by our two presidents during the summit here in Moscow in
July is extremely important. We have agreed to discuss a broad range
of important matters in these 16 working groups, which, as Sergey
has said, have begun their important consultations. We know that this
takes time. It doesn’t happen overnight. It requires building trust and
confidence between us. But I am very convinced that this is important
for each of our nations and our people, and indeed, the world.

Our work in the Bilateral Presidential Commission is looking closely
at how we can pursue practical, concrete results on issues ranging
from nuclear security and energy ef rts. Now, we know that the fact
that these meetings are occurring does not guarantee results, but they
do set in motion a process and an opportunity to build relationships
that will widen the avenues of cooperation.

President Obama and I believe that it is this cooperative relationship
and the acceptance of shared responsibility that is really at the
core of the 21st century relationship between the United States and
Russia. One example of that is the work that our technical experts are
doing on a START agreement to cut our nuclear arsenal to demonstrate
leadership from the two largest nuclear powers in the world. We are
also committed to working together on the Nonproliferation Treaty. Our
goal remains to complete the work on START by December 5th when the
current agreement expires. The global initiative on nuclear terrorism
to create a joint effort to secure vulnerable nuclear materials
and set new standards is another important step that we are pursuing
together. And we look forward to Russia’s leadership in helping to make
the Global Nuclear Security Summit next April in Washington a success.

As Sergey said, we have also broadened our area of cooperation when it
comes to Afghanistan. We appreciate the transit agreement that is now
in effect. We believe we have common interests to reduce the threat
of extremism, terrorism, narco-trafficking. And this is the kind of
very clear-headed, practical cooperation that is to our mutual benefit.

We obviously discussed some of the broader foreign policy issues that
we both face. Iran’s nuclear program remains a matter of serious
concern, and we’re working closely with Russia through the P-5+1
process. We had a constructive meeting in Geneva on October 1st. And
we are working to ensure that Iran moves forward with us on this
engagement track and demonstrates unequivocally that it is seeking
only the peaceful use of nuclear weapons.

We had a long discussion and brought in some of our technical experts
to review where we stand on missile defense. We explained that of the
evolving threat from Iran led President Obama to adopt a new, different
approach to missile defense. We are very interested in working with
Russia to develop cooperation, including a joint threat assessment
and intensified efforts to establish a joint data exchange center,
as our presidents agreed to in July, as a means of making missile
defense a common enterprise against what we believe are increasingly
common threats.

We appreciate the cooperation that we’ve had on North Korea and
Russia’s very strong interest in the peace process in the Middle
East. We look forward to being able to attend a conference in Moscow
at the appropriate time as part of the process leading to a two-state
solution between Israel and the Palestinians.

Now, we will continue to have disagreements. And I think it’s
very important for both the American media and the Russian media
to understand that we are different countries. We have different
historical experiences, different perspectives. But we are planting
those disagreements in a much broader field of cooperation, and
hopefully, we are enriching the earth in which this cooperation can
take root. We will not see eye-to-eye on Georgia, for example. We just
have a difference of opinion. We have made it clear that we will not
recognize South Ossetia and Abkhazia. But we are going to continue
to work in every other area where we do agree.

We will continue to raise questions concerning civil society and the
rule of law and the role of NGOs. We think that that’s a way to really
deepen and broaden our engagement. But on balance, I feel very good
about the so-called reset of our relations. Even though I didn’t get
the Russian word right – which Sergey immediately corrected me over –
it is a real pleasure to be back in Moscow for the continuation of
these dialogues that our two presidents and the minister and I and
other members of our government are engaged in. We really are committed
to this relationship. We believe strongly that working together,
step by step, we are lly assured destruction into one that is based
on mutual respect and, over time, increasingly mutual trust, because
we both have an obligation to the Russian people and to the American
people, but indeed to all the people of the world, for us to lead on
matters that are really at the heart of the future we hope to share.

MODERATOR: (In Russian.)

QUESTION: (In Russian.)

FOREIGN MINISTER LAVROV: (In Russian.)

SECRETARY CLINTON: We had a very long discussion about missile
defense and we outlined for the minister and the other officials
at the meeting the basis of our threat assessment, which President
Obama ordered to be conducted upon taking office. And the conclusion
we reached that the concerns about the ICBM development in Iran were
not as urgent as new concerns regarding the short- and medium-term
missiles that they are developing. The United States believes that
it is better to be prepared and defended against possible aggressive
offensive action by Iran or others who might develop such weapons,
and therefore, the phased adaptive approach which we have outlined
is intended to protect against that threat.

We have shared this with our Russian colleagues. Our experts are going
through all of the details, because we would like to see the United
States and Russian collaborate closely on missile defense. We think
it is in our mutual interest. We believe it is something that, given
our respective nations’ technological expertise, could be important
for the rest of the world.

And as Minister Lavrov said, we want to ensure that every question that
the Russian military or the Russian Government asks, we answer. We
have invited your leading experts to our missile command and control
center in Colorado Springs. We want to be as transparent as possible,
because this is important so that we agree on the common threat and
we agree as to how we will address that common threat. And we see
this as yet another area for deeper cooperation between our countries.

QUESTION: On Iran, what did you ask the minister with regard to
pressure and sanctions, and did you receive any assurances?

And for the minister, if I could ask, your president has said
that sanctions are inevitable. Do you still believe that to be the
case? Thank you.

SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, again, w ct to Iran, we had a lengthy
conversation. We reviewed the outcome of the October 1st meeting. The
United States has always had a dual-track approach to Iran where
we made it clear we wanted to pursue the engagement and diplomatic
track. And the very strong, united approach that has been taken in
the P-5+1 which, of course, includes the United States and Russia,
we think is making an impact on Iran. Iran has several obligations
that it said it would fulfill. We believe it is important to pursue
the diplomatic track and to do everything we can to make it successful.

We believe that Iran is entitled to peaceful nuclear energy, but
that it is not entitled to nuclear weapons. Russia agrees with us
on that. At the same time that we are very vigorously pursuing this
track, we are aware that we might not be as successful as we need to
be. So we have always looked at the potential of sanctions in the
event that we are not successful, that we cannot assure ourselves
and others that Iran has decided not to pursue nuclear weapons.

I think what President Medvedev said was that they may be inevitable,
not that they are inevitable. He said that they’re not always
preferable, but they may be inevitable. But we are not at that point
yet. That is not a conclusion we have reached, and we want to be very
clear that it is our preference that Iran work with the international
community, as represented by the P-5+1, fulfill its obligation on
inspections, in fact, open up its entire system so that there can be
no doubt about what they’re doing, and comply with the agreement in
principle to transfer out the low-enriched uranium. Those would be
confidence-building measures, and that would give us an opportunity
to take stock of where we are on the diplomatic track.

FOREIGN MINISTER LAVROV: (In Russian.)

MODERATOR: (In Russian.)

QUESTION: (In Russian.)

FOREIGN MINISTER LAVROV: (In Russian.)

MR. KELLY: And the last question to Mary Beth Sheridan from The
Washington Post.

QUESTION: Thank you. Minister Lavrov, a question for you.

U.S. is interested in gaining more Russian support for the effort in
Afghanistan. You’ve allowed these U.S. overflights. Are you prepared
to also provide other support, and specifically what?

And two questions, if I may, for Secretary Clinton. One is that it
sounds like you did not get the commitment from the Russian side in
terms of sanctions or other forms of pressure that could be brought
to bear on Iran. Could you comment on that?

And second question: Are you considering loosening sanctions on North
Korea to get the Six-Party Talks going? Thank you.

FOREIGN MINISTER LAVROV: (In Russian.)

SECRETARY CLINTON: Mary Beth, as I said, we are actively pursuing the
engagement track. We have two outstanding obligations plus another
meeting upcoming between the P-5+1 and the Iranians. It is not any
surprise to anyone, as I stated earlier, that in the absence of
significant progress and assurance that Iran is not pursuing nuclear
weapons, we will be seeking to rally international opinion behind
additional sanctions.

But Russia has been extremely cooperative in the work that we have
done together. Back at the United Nations General Assembly, Minister
Lavrov and I were at a meeting together with the P-5+1 ministers,
where a very strong statement was issued. In that statement, it
said that other actions will have to be considered in the absence
of Iranian meeting – Iran meeting its obligations. So we didn’t ask
for anything today. We reviewed the situation and where it stood,
which I think was the appropriate timing for what this process entails.

We have absolutely no intention of relaxing or offering to relax
North Korean sanctions at this point whatsoever. As you know, we’re
looking to restart the Six-Party process. Sergey and I talked about
that. We continue to believe it is the best way forward. We may use
some bilateral discussions to help get that process going, but that
is not in any way linked to relaxing any sanctions whatsoever.

MODERATOR: (In Russian.) Thank you.