The White House

Office of the Vice President

For Immediate Release
March 18, 2014

Remarks to the Press by Vice President Joe Biden and President Toomas Ilves of Estonia

Warsaw Marriott Hotel
Warsaw, Poland

5:20 P.M. (Local)

VICE PRESIDENT BIDEN:  Good afternoon, everyone.  Mr. President, I was pleased to have another chance to get together with you and speak with you today, and I appreciate the fact you made the time to see me in the midst of your own state visit to Poland.  I appreciate it very much.  And I look forward to seeing your fellow Baltic heads of state tomorrow in Vilnius. 

Estonia’s success is, in our view, a living testament to what’s possible -- where innovators can breathe free and people can speak their minds, where democratic rights and universal freedoms are protected, and when countries are free to choose their own path. 

The Estonian people, like many of Russia’s neighbors, have a personal stake in what’s happening in Ukraine.  Your history reminds us of how vigilant you have to remain.  And today, Mr. President, we’ve consulted on a path ahead.  We spoke about the steps we’re taking alongside many other nations to support Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity; to help Ukraine stabilize its economy and conduct fair and free democratic elections; and to condemn and reject Russia’s illegal -- absolutely illegal conduct in taking steps to annex Crimea.  And also, we talked about how to impose costs on Russia for their aggression.  There’s no other word for it; it’s aggression.

And when we speak about costs, we’re talking about more than just sanctions.  We’re talking about Russia putting itself on a path that undermines long-term confidence and creates obstacles for its full participation in the global economy.  That path they’ve placed themselves on does nothing to help the next generation of Russians compete and succeed in a world that will be led by the most open, innovative and dynamic economies.

The President and I also discussed our commitments as NATO allies.  I came here today and will travel to Vilnius tomorrow to stand with our NATO allies and reconfirm and reaffirm our shared commitment to collective self-defense, to Article 5.  I want to make it absolutely clear what it means to the Estonian people and all the people of the Baltics.  President Obama and I view Article 5 of the NATO Treaty as an absolutely solemn commitment which we will honor -- we will honor.

And that’s why, in the past few weeks, we’ve had substantial -- we have substantially augmented the U.S. rotation of NATO’s Baltic air policing program and that protects the skies over Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.  We’re working to line up countries to continue to augment that rotation after our turn comes to an end and we will turn the mission over to Poland.

Looking ahead, we’re exploring a number of additional steps to increase the pace and scope of our military cooperation, including rotating U.S. forces to the Baltic region to conduct ground and naval exercise, as well as training missions.  Next week will mark the 10th anniversary of the Baltic States’ membership in NATO.

A decade ago, I had the privilege as Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, as a United States senator, to champion your admission.  The security partnership we built together has surpassed even the high expectations of those of us who argued on behalf of admission.  I know because, as I said, I was one of them. 

In Afghanistan, Estonian troops fought alongside Americans. We worked closely together on cybersecurity, which you’re leading.  Estonia remains one of the few NATO countries that invests, has committed, 2 percent of its gross domestic product to defense year after year.

The relationship, Mr. President, goes beyond security as well as our discussions did.  Mr. President, we admire and value Estonia’s contribution and the example you set as a successful young democracy.  Ours is a partnership based on shared values, and it’s no surprise we work together to support other young democracies like Tunisia and Moldova.  And as we discussed today, Mr. President, we’re working to create an even greater economic integration and cooperation to diversify your sources of energy.

Mr. President, for decades America kept faith with the dream of freedom and independence of the Baltic people.  Your security and your success matters a great deal to us.  Your friendship also matters, and your personal friendship as well.

So, Mr. President, thank you for making time for us.  And may God bless the people of Estonia, and may God protect our troops.

PRESIDENT TOOMAS ILVES:  Thank you, Mr. Vice President.  And thank you for illustrating what a close relationship we have with this great idea of getting together and discussing how things are going, because ultimately that’s how allies are.  We don’t have these formal meetings where you come in and prearrange, but we get together to discuss how we see things.  And I think that is what -- that is the essence of an alliance, is being able to talk with your friends and like-minded people about what needs to be done.  And today was a great example of precisely this kind of meeting, and it was -- that’s why I say thank you, because it reassured me that things are going the right way.

And of course, we did come here to discuss things that aren’t going the right way.  The Ukrainian crisis is something that causes concern for all people who believe in freedom and justice and rule of law, and also even in international law, where we see such blatant cases of aggression, of violations of international law, where, if the international community does not stand up, the international order will collapse because the kinds of behavior we’ve seen is dangerous for the world. 

And here, again, thank you for the U.S.’s leadership in the Security Council, and especially Ambassador Power’s great statements.  We really liked them in Estonia.

But when we think about where we are, it’s quite clear that we are -- the actions of the last several weeks have led us to -- are forcing us to reassess the past or the assumptions of the past 20, 25 years.  The old idea of NATO, which I remember from 20 years ago, out of the area or out of business, predicated on a Europe that no longer has any threats.  That, unfortunately, has turned out, with the actions we’ve seen against Ukraine, no longer to apply. 

The East-West relationship needs to be put on a new standing.  We and NATO must draw our conclusions from Russia’s behavior in the current crisis; we need and must conduct a review of the entire range of NATO-Russia relations.  The principles -- the well-meaning, fundamental principles of the 1997 Founding Act -- NATO-Russia Founding Act don’t apply anymore.  There is no more respect for territorial integrity, for transparency.  And if that is the case, we have to draw our own conclusions.  And that is my hope -- that at the upcoming NATO summit in Wales, we will have drawn our own conclusions and refocus on collective defense. The raison d’etre of NATO is to defend members of the Alliance and defend the territory of the members of the Alliance. And so a refocus on the original idea of NATO is what must come out of Wales.

We discussed, also, the response of Europe.  Europe has responded, but it is our belief in Estonia, and, I understand, in some other countries -- among them, the United States -- that the response must be more robust than it has been.  The response should not be about the price of gas, it must be about common values and the price of not adhering to those common values.  That is a far more serious and costly price, is giving up our values.

So tomorrow, when the Council will meet in Brussels, Estonia will be championing those values.  And it is my sincere hope that many members of the European Union will join us in standing up for the values that make Europe Europe. 

Specifically on our bilateral relations, let me say, once again, I’d like to thank you, Mr. Vice President, and the United States, for your very swift response to the crisis, and the augmentation of Baltic air policing, backing us up when we feel a need for it.  That is what NATO is about.  On our part, you can count on us to do what it takes to not only keep up our share of 2 percent, but also when it comes to helping out in Ukraine, for example, our knowhow is there to be used and we are committed to you to help.

Ultimately, I think this, once again, a serious crisis in Europe has shown that the presence of the United States in Europe -- and especially in our region, the Baltic area -- is absolutely vital.  It is what allows us to give credibility to NATO.  And we thank you for helping us in this way and giving NATO that credibility that all of Europe so desperately needs. 

END   
5:32 P.M (Local)

The White House

Office of the Vice President

For Immediate Release
March 18, 2014

Remarks to the Press by Vice President Joe Biden with President Bronislaw Komorowski of Poland

Presidential Palace
Warsaw, Poland
3:47 P.M. (Local)

VICE PRESIDENT BIDEN:  Mr. President, thank you very much.  Let me begin where you ended.  Russia has increased their budget. But I want to remind you, you have an ally whose budget is larger than the next 10 nations in the world combined.  So while others may not have stood up to their responsibilities, the United States has more than stood up to its responsibilities.  We have a budget larger than the next 10 nations in the world combined, so don't worry about where we are.  Number one.

Number two, Mr. President, my mother used to have a saying  -- she’d say, you're defined by your courage and you are redeemed by your loyalty.  Well, I doubt there’s another nation on Earth that would better fit that description than Poland.  The Polish coat of arms, the Solidarity flag hanging here over us, the Polish constitution in this room -- it strikes me that I don't think there’s a country in the world that knows better than Poland both the bitter cost of aggression and the sweetness of liberty. 

Today, Mr. President, the people of Ukraine are reaching for that very same right and freedoms that the Poles cherish.  They want a government that serves its people and they want the right to free expression, the chance to choose Ukraine’s path and affiliations as a united nation without fear of coercion.  That's their goal, what you’ve accomplished.

They understand that the verdict of history is absolutely clear:  Societies like Poland that embrace these values -- openness, freedom, the respect for the rule of law -- they are the countries that own and will own the future.  Those that bet instead on aggression and fear-mongering are bound to fail.  And so we look to our Polish friends who made the journey of freedom within our lifetime to exercise leadership in helping Ukraine follow in your footsteps. 

Today, Mr. President, we spoke about a situation that's unfolding in Ukraine.  We agreed on the need for the United States, Poland and our European friends to stand together in supporting Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders, rejecting Russia’s absolutely illegitimate claims and steps to annex Crimea, and imposing costs on Russia and Mr. Putin for Russian aggression while making it clear there is a better path if they choose to take it, and helping the Ukrainian people and their government as they chart a new future.

As we proceed, Mr. President, I want to make it unmistakingly clear to you and to all our allies in the region that our commitment to mutual self-defense under Article 5 of NATO remains ironclad.  It is not in question.  It is ironclad.

Fifteen years ago, I was honored, as the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, to lead the fight for Poland’s admission into NATO -- in other words, to put that very commitment, that very commitment of Article 5, put that in place for Poland.  Have no doubt, the United States will honor its commitments.  We always do. 

And today, Mr. President, you and I spoke about the steps that have been taken in recent days to bolster our security presence in Europe, including deployment of 12 American F-16 fighter jets and hundreds of American servicemen to Poland.  We've also discussed new opportunities for training and exercises that we'll pursue through NATO here in Poland.  As I said earlier today, our missile defense plans continue on schedule, including our firm commitment to place an operational missile defense site here in Poland by 2018.

And for its part, Poland has launched an impressive effort to modernize its military.  It stands as an excellent example for all in NATO.  The United States looks forward to being a strong partner in your effort to modernize, Mr. President, of course.  Our partnership and our discussions extended far beyond militaries.  We also spoke extensively about our work together in the advance of trade and energy security. 

Mr. President, President Obama and I want the Polish people to know that there is a deep, deep commitment to Poland that lives in the hearts of a vast majority of Americans.  And I'm sure any Pole who has ever visited America -- the United States has felt it.  It's real.  It's deep. 

And if you’ll excuse, as we used to say when I was in the United States Senate, Mr. President, a point of personal privilege -- there‘s a Polish cavalryman’s sword presented to me by your predecessor, by your government, that hangs proudly in my family home.  It's a small token of the value many Americans place on our countries’ friendship, and a value I place on your country’s friendship and yours.

May God bless Poland, and may God protect our troops.  We are together.

END   
3:53 P.M. (Local)

The White House

Office of the Vice President

For Immediate Release
March 18, 2014

Remarks to the Press by Vice President Joe Biden with Prime Minister Donald Tusk of Poland

Prime Minister’s Chancellery
Warsaw, Poland

1:56 P.M. (Local)

VICE PRESIDENT BIDEN:  Mr. Prime Minister, these are challenging times. And I've known you for a while and the President and I have great respect for you, and we're absolutely confident that we are up to the challenge.  It’s more important today than ever that friends stand with one another and be unequivocal about it.  That's why I'm here in Poland, as a steadfast ally, an ally as -- a country -- as strong an ally as a country can wish to have, and you are among the best allies America has, Mr. Prime Minister.

Ukraine -- it's an almost unbelievable set of events that has brought us here.  The President asked me to come to Warsaw today to reaffirm the United States’ solemn commitment, solemn NATO commitment, and to consult with Poland’s leaders about the situation in Ukraine. 

The people of Ukraine have shown tremendous courage and they’ve worked very hard to realize their aspirations for a more democratic future, free of oligarchy and corruption; for a Ukraine connected to institutions and markets of Europe, but respectful of Ukraine’s deep cultural and economic ties to its neighbors. 

Unfortunately, Russia’s leaders have responded with a brazen -- brazen military incursion, with a purposeful ratcheting up of ethnic tensions inside Ukraine, with a rushed and illegal referendum in Crimea that was, not surprisingly, rejected by virtually the entire world, and now, today, with steps to annex Crimea. 

We join Poland and the international community condemning the continuing assault on Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and the blatant -- the blatant violation of international law by Mr. Putin and Russia.

Russia has offered a variety of arguments to justify what is nothing more than a land grab, including what was said today.  But the world has seen through -- has seen through Russia’s action and has rejected the logic -- the flawed logic behind those actions.  Countries like Poland have shown that real progress comes from open societies who, in fact, have open markets, not from invasion and aggression. 

Thirteen of the 15 countries on the Security Council of the United Nations voted to condemn the referendum in Crimea as illegitimate.  Even China decided it could not support it and abstained, and Russia -- Russia stood alone, naked in front of the world, for the aggression that they had undertaken.  It's a simple fact that Russia’s political and economic isolation will only increase if it continues down its current path and it will, in fact, see additional -- additional sanctions by the United States and the EU.

As the Prime Minister and I discussed in a fairly long meeting we had this morning, as we impose costs on Russia for violating international law we have to be equally resolute in supporting the regime -- supporting the government in Ukraine right now.  The United States is working to provide a billion-dollar loan guarantee, technical assistance to prepare for free and fair elections, and support for reforms that will allow the IMF to provide a stronger stabilization package for Ukraine.

The Prime Minister and I discussed how the United States and Europe can carry forward its support for Ukraine and the Ukrainian people in the face of their immediate needs.  The Prime Minister and I reviewed our mutual commitments as NATO allies.  The United States and Poland stand shoulder-to-shoulder in vital missions around the world.  But recent events remind us that the bedrock of our alliance remains collective self-defense, as enshrined in Article 5 of the NATO Treaty.  Our intent is that NATO emerge from this crisis stronger and more unified than ever.

If you want to know what we think, President Obama and I view Article 5 as a solemn commitment not only for our time, but for all time.  We take it deadly serious, and our commitment is absolutely unwavering and unshakeable.  That's why the United States has just deployed 12 F-16 fighter jets to the Lask Airbase in Poland.  We've augmented the U.S. rotation of NATO’s Baltic air policing program protecting the skies over Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuanian, where I'll be traveling tomorrow.  Instead of four F-15s we have sent 10. 

Today, the combatant commander for Europe is convening a meeting in Croatia with the chiefs of defense of Central and Eastern European countries to discuss the current situation, which Poland will be attending, and we'll pursue additional steps that will strengthen our alliance for the future.

At NATO, we'll encourage allies to update contingency planning and threat assessments.  Working with our Polish friends, we want to recognize our Polish aviation detachment to offer opportunities for other allies to work with combined training and expand our training to include U.S. Army planners as well as taking further steps.

It goes without saying that collective defense is a shared responsibility, and the United States of America strongly supports Poland’s military modernization and we look forward to being a partner in that modernization.  We appreciate Poland’s commitment to carry its share of the financial burden, as all ally NATO should do. 

For our part, U.S. plans for a European phased adaptive  approach to ballistic missile defense, which we announced almost five years ago -- those plans are on schedule.  We've met our target so far and we will -- we will, in fact, bring it to fruition.  That is our firm commitment, an operational missile defense site here in Poland by 2018. 

Mr. Prime Minister, we also spoke about energy.  In the coming weeks, we'll be meeting with our European partners to discuss ways to further diversify their source and supplies of energy.  This will help improve energy security and it will ensure that no nation can use the supply of gas as a political weapon against any other nation.  Today, the Prime Minister and I spoke about steps Poland is taking to reverse natural gas flows into some pipelines to help the Ukrainians access additional supplies of gas if needed.

Finally, we talked about a negotiations toward the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership between the United States and Europe.  This is already, that trade, is already the largest commercial relationship in the world.  But we have an additional chance to significantly expand together, creating jobs on both sides of the Atlantic.

So, Mr. Prime Minister, we are profoundly grateful for your friendship and the friendship of the people of Poland.  It is said that Joshua’s trumpet brought down the walls of Jericho.  But I watched personally that it was Poland’s courage that unleashed the forces that brought down the Berlin Wall.  You set a standard, Mr. Prime Minister, and your country set a standard for what a country can achieve when it has the courage to reach for its freedom.  And we look forward to continue to work very closely together in the days ahead, Mr. Prime Minister.

May God bless Poland, and may God protect our troops.  Thank you very much for all you’ve done.

END   
2:06 P.M. (Local)

The White House

Office of the Vice President

For Immediate Release
March 14, 2014

Vice President Biden to Travel to Poland and Lithuania

WASHINGTON, DC – The Vice President will travel to Poland and Lithuania next week, March 17-19th, to meet with regional partners to discuss events in Ukraine and other regional issues.  In Warsaw and Vilnius, the Vice President will meet with the President and Prime Minister of Poland and the Presidents of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.  During his meetings, the Vice President will consult on steps to support Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and affirm our collective defense commitments under the North Atlantic Treaty and our enduring support for all of our allies and partners in Europe.

The White House

Office of the Vice President

For Immediate Release
March 14, 2014

Readout of the Vice President’s Meeting with Trade Association Leaders on Job-Driven Training

Vice President Biden dropped by a meeting with trade association leaders this afternoon to discuss workforce development and job-driven training. The Vice President highlighted the importance of working together to give America’s workers opportunities to acquire skills they need to pursue in-demand jobs and careers. The Vice President called on industry associations to take action to expand programs that have proven successful in training workers, and encouraged the participants to bring together trade associations and community colleges to shape training programs that equip workers with high-demand skills. Participants also discussed efforts like the new Ready to Work Partnership grant competition and the upcoming Community College Training grants which can help support some of these partnerships.

In his State of the Union address, President Obama tasked the Vice President with leading an across-the-board reform of America’s training programs to ensure they train Americans with the skills employers need that match with good jobs. To this end, the Vice President is working with organizations, federal agencies, and others to make the workforce and training system more job-driven, integrated, and effective.

The White House

Office of the Vice President

For Immediate Release
March 10, 2014

Readout of the Vice President’s Call with Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades

Vice President Biden spoke to Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades today to discuss issues of regional concern, including the situation in Ukraine. The two leaders expressed firm support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders, and consulted on steps to lead to a de-escalation of the situation and peaceful resolution. The Vice President welcomed the conclusions of the European Council on March 6, which sent a strong signal that Russia’s military actions in Crimea are unacceptable. Finally, the Vice President also applauded the resumption of U.N.-led talks to achieve a just and lasting Cyprus settlement and re-affirmed the United States’ full support for the Cypriot-led process, under the auspices of the United Nations Good Offices Mission.

The White House

Office of the Vice President

For Immediate Release
March 10, 2014

Remarks by Vice President Joe Biden at a Bilateral Meeting with Chilean President Sebastián Piñera

Palacio de la Moneda
Santiago, Chile

PRESIDENT PIÑERA:  Good morning.  I would like to give the most warm in the world’s welcome to the Vice President of the United States, Mr. Joe Biden.

You know that he was elected senator when he was only 29 years of age (inaudible) the youngest senator in the history of the United States.  He performed as a U.S. senator for more than 36 years, and now he’s the Vice President of the United States. 

Welcome to Chile. 

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  Thank you.

PRESIDENT PIÑERA:  We consider yourself and the country a very good and loyal friend of my country.  So -- and I know that you have a very important voice to give and we are very pleased to have you here.  Welcome to Chile once again, and I give you --

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  Well, thank you, Mr. President.  I -- despite some of the crises that are going on around the world, the President and I agreed that it was important that I be here in Chile because this -- our commitment to this relationship is real.  It’s deep, and you’ve deepened in your term, Mr. President. 

I had a great meeting with President-elect Bachelet this morning, and I’m looking forward to meeting with you after this brief comments to the press here.  And I also look forward to meeting the other leaders in the region from Colombia, Peru, Mexico and elsewhere.  So it’s an opportunity for me meet others as well.

The President and I believe that the hemisphere, the Western Hemisphere, and particularly the Southern Hemisphere has -- offers enormous, enormous potential.  It’s the destination of 40 percent of all of America’s exports.  It’s home to a growing middle class, and it’s quickly becoming (inaudible) quickly becoming a world energy center. 

And we, for the first time, Mr. President, at least in my career, talk about how to achieve a hemisphere that is secure, middle-class and free.  We’ve never been able to look at it that way before.  From Canada through -- down through Chile and everywhere in between, And nowhere in the region is that more -- potentially more apparent than in Chile.  (Inaudible) the United States you mentioned historic close ties.  And that's why -- it’s why I’m here.  That's why my delegation is here.

Mr. President, our two countries have worked well together.  We’ve made significant progress through your leadership in the TPP, Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiation.  During your term, Mr. President, our two countries also strengthened our people-to-people ties through the Visa Waiver Program.  I remember first meeting you, talking about that.  Chile is the only Latin America country in the program that allows visa-free travel between Chile and the United States. 

And as far as my visit, I’m happy to say that we’re not going to wait until May the 1st.  We want to move that program up to begin on March the 31st.  Again, thank you for your -- all your efforts.

The United States, Mr. President, looks forward to working with your successor, President Bachelet, on these and many more issues.  I personally look forward to tomorrow’s inauguration.  I’ve heard it described as the perfect example of democratic transfer of power.  Chile’s economic, democratic tradition teaches us all that pragmatism, not ideology, is the secret to success.  It’s no coincidence that Chile has used democracy and the open market to create new opportunities for her citizens.  And we continue to look forward to working with the government of Chile, and I continue to look forward to seeing you as well in person. 

Thank you for you hospitality.

END

The White House

Office of the Vice President

For Immediate Release
March 10, 2014

FACT SHEET: The United States and Chile

Today, Vice President Joe Biden is in Chile to attend the inauguration of President-Elect Michelle Bachelet. The Vice President’s visit will underscore the long-standing close ties between the United States and Chile, and highlight our cooperation in the following areas:

  • Free Trade Agreement: The U.S.-Chile Free Trade Agreement continues to benefit both nations.  Bilateral trade in goods grew to $28 billion in 2013, which makes Chile our 29th largest goods trading partner overall and our fourth largest export partner in the Americas.  U.S. goods exports to Chile totaled $17.6 billion last year, representing an increase of 548 percent since the Agreement was signed in 2004.  
  • Trans-Pacific Partnership: The United States and Chile are two of the twelve participants negotiating the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), which will be a comprehensive, high-standard, next-generation trade agreement.  Once concluded, the TPP will cover roughly 40 percent of global gross domestic product (GDP).  All of the participants stand to benefit from a successful and speedy conclusion of TPP negotiations.
  • Multilateral Issues: The United States looks forward to consulting closely with Chile as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council and member of the UN Human Rights Council.  President Obama and President-Elect Bachelet launched our Trilateral Development Cooperation initiative in 2009, and we’ve worked together in countries as diverse as El Salvador, Guatemala and the Dominican Republic on matters as diverse as agriculture, assisting at-risk youth, and security cooperation.
  • Visa Waiver Program: On February 28th, Chile was designated the 38th country to participate in the U.S. Visa Waiver Program. Chile’s designation is a testament to our strong relations and its participation will have a tremendous impact in creating even stronger people-to-people ties between our countries.  It should also facilitate other potential initiatives to expedite trade and travel.  During his visit, the Vice President announced the implementation would be moved up from May 1st to March 31st.
  • 100,000 Strong in the Americas: During his March 2011 visit to Chile, President Obama launched the “100,000 Strong in the Americas” initiative to increase educational exchange across the Americas.  Chile has already created three partnerships between U.S. and Chilean universities to increase student exchange. There are currently more than 3,000 U.S. students studying in Chile and more than 2,000 Chileans at American universities.  In January, the Vice President launched the initiative’s #InvestintheFuture campaign to start an online conversation between students, governments, and business about international education.

The White House

Office of the Vice President

For Immediate Release
March 07, 2014

Background Press Briefing by Senior Administration Officials on the Vice President and Dr. Jill Biden's Trip to Chile and the Dominican Republic

Via Teleconference
 
11:00 A.M. EST
 
MS. TROTTER:  Good morning, everyone, and thanks for joining us.  This conference call is to discuss the Vice President and Dr. Jill Biden’s trip next week to Chile and the Dominican Republic.
 
This call is on background and all of our speakers should be referred to as senior administration officials.  They’ll speak for a few minutes and then take some of your questions.  And with that I will turn it over to our first senior administration official.
 
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Thanks, everybody, for joining the call.  I’m just going to take a couple of minutes to give some broad outlines, and then turn it over to my colleague to go into the substance, and then we’ll look forward to taking a few of your questions.
 
The Vice President and Dr. Biden will travel to Chile and the Dominican Republic from March 9th to the 12th.  In Chile, the Vice President will attend the inauguration of Michelle Bachelet, who he met back in March of 2009, in Santiago, first, to underscore the historically close ties between the United States and Chile; and, second, because this inauguration represents an important gathering of leaders from across the region and provides an opportunity for him to engage with a broad range of presidents and other senior officials on some of the most important issues facing the Americas today.
 
With Bachelet, the Vice President looks forward to discussing a range of issues in our bilateral relationship with Chile, including the TransPacific Partnership, the U.N. Security Council, of which Chile is a non-permanent member; 100,000 Strong in the Americas; and a number of other issues, as well.
 
And then he will also look forward to speaking with leaders from President Humala of Peru, to President Santos of Colombia, to President Peña Nieto of Mexico, to other figures from across South America, Central America, and the Caribbean. 
 
Most importantly, perhaps, thanks to the U.S. Senate, the Vice President will be accompanied by our just-confirmed ambassador to the Republic of Chile, Mike Hammer.  And we thank the Senate for moving on his confirmation yesterday so that Ambassador Hammer could join us for this trip.
 
In the Dominican Republic, the Vice President and President Medina have a lot of issues to discuss, both bilaterally and regionally, and also to lift up and celebrate the very close people-to-people ties between the United States and the Dominican Republic.  More than a million and a half Dominicans and their descendants live in the United States, and more than 250,000 U.S. citizens live in the Dominican Republic.  And you see a million and a half or so U.S. tourists visiting the Dominican Republic every year.
 
As a signatory of the Central America-Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement, we enjoy very close trade ties with the DR.  And the DR is an important voice in issues facing Caribbean countries, as well as Central American countries, as the current president of SICA, the Central American Integration System.
 
The Vice President will place particular emphasis on the issue of energy security while he’s in the Dominican Republic, given the challenges and opportunities that have been created in recent years in the region, and our deep investment in making sure that all the countries of the Caribbean and the broad region are able to access secure, stable, and affordable supplies of energy to power their economies and provide better lives for their people.
 
Just to step back for one second, before my colleague gets into some of more of the details, this trip continues both the Vice President’s and the administration’s active engagement in the Americas and in the Western Hemisphere over the past year and beyond. 
 
Just in early December, President Santos of Colombia was here to meet with the President in the Oval; and just a couple of weeks ago, the President attended the North American Leaders Summit in Toluca.  And this trip will mark the seventh trip the Vice President has taken since 2009, and will be a part of the active pace of travel and meetings and telephone calls you’ve seen from him -- the early part of last year.  It is a way in traveling to these two countries to continue to underscore and emphasize and make concrete this administration’s strong commitment to elevated and intensified engagement with the Americas and with leaders and peoples across the Americas, and to advance our vision of an Americas that is middle class, secure, and democratic from Canada to Chile, and everywhere in between.
 
So with that, let me turn it over to my colleague.
 
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Thank you.  And good morning.  Thanks for joining this call.  I’m just going to hit a couple of the details in our relations with Chile and the Dominican Republic that are going to figure in our conversations and our relationship over the next year and several years.
 
In the case of Chile, President Obama and Vice President Biden have the utmost admiration and respect for President Bachelet, dating back from her first term as Chilean President, and more recent -- first executive director of U.N. Women.  We look very much forward to working with her in her new term as President.  We’ve had an excellent relationship with outgoing President Piñera as well, as indicated by President Piñera’s visit to the United States for a meeting with the President in 2013.
 
Chile is one of our closest partners in the Americas.  Our 2004 free trade agreement made our economies increasingly interconnected and allowed us to nearly quadruple our bilateral trade and goods to $28 billion last year.  Chile is our fourth largest export partner in the region.
 
So for this reason, it’s very important to us to have Chile as a participant in the negotiations for the TransPacific Partnership, which my colleague just mentioned.  The TPP negotiations are almost complete, and given our close relationship and the integration of our economies, both Chile and the United States should be big beneficiaries of the TPP’s successful conclusion.
 
But it’s not just our economies that are interconnected, it’s also our people.  Last week, Chile became the 38th country to be designated as a participant in the visa waiver program.  That’s going to help speed, accelerate, and deepen the already very close relations between our two countries.
 
Another area where there’s a great deal of cooperation and collaboration and definitely room for additional expanded growth is in education.  Educational exchange is a way that we see as deepening our lasting personal ties as well as our close economic ties.  It’s a priority issue for President Obama, for President-Elect Bachelet, and of course, for the Vice President.  And we hope to leverage our 100,000 Strong in the Americas initiative to increase the number of U.S. students studying in Chile.  In fact, the Vice President recently helped launched the next phase of 100,000 Strong, and so it’s very timely for him to be going to Chile now, where we have some of our closest educational partnerships.
 
We also have, beyond the bilateral connections, a very close relationship with Chile in the multilateral world.  We consult very often, regularly, on global issues of course with Chile as a non-permanent member of the U.N. Security Council.  That’s going to be a continuing element of collaboration between our countries, but also, President Obama and President-Elect Bachelet launched our Trilateral Development Cooperation initiative in 2009, and we’ve worked together in countries as diverse as El Salvador, Guatemala and the Dominican Republic on matters as diverse as agriculture, assisting at-risk youth, and security cooperation.
 
In addition, Chile has been a long-standing contributor to the U.N. stabilization mission in Haiti, MINUSTAH, contributing about 700 police and military.  And that’s going to be another area where we’ll continue to work closely with Chile. 
 
So turning to the Dominican Republic, as my colleague mentioned, they are very, very strong, familial and personal connections between the people of the United States and the Dominican Republic.  And that’s been reinforced by the implementation of CAFTA-DR, our free trade agreement.  We have new ideas we’d like to pursue with the Dominican government on cooperation related to the economy, energy, education, and security.
 
In terms of our security and law enforcement cooperation, we have an excellent, very good collaboration with Dominican authorities.  We have cooperated with the Dominican Republic in helping them set up a 911 program in Santo Domingo, and we’re also looking beyond security issues at assisting the Dominican Republic on issues related to citizen security, but also education, the prevention and the spread of HIV/AIDS, reducing the vulnerability to climate change and strengthening government institutions.  USAID will invest about $185 million in the Dominican Republic over the next five years.
 
So another item for discussion certainly will be the -- matters related to the Constitutional Tribunal’s decision in the Dominican Republic related to nationality law.  That’s an area where the United States has engaged with the Dominican Republic.  We are hopeful that there will be a conclusion to this matter through legislation that will address those most affected by that ruling.
 
On energy issues, we have lots of collaboration already.  But we’re very interested in expanding our leadership role and collaboration not just the United States, but also by working with Canada, Mexico, and other partners to help address some of the distortions and market issues that have affected the distribution of energy in the Caribbean.  As my colleague mentioned, this is an area that’s important to us, because we see it as key to improving the competitiveness of the Caribbean and for Central America, for that matter, in the global economy.
 
So, finally, President Medina is currently serving as the President Pro Tempore of the Central American Integration System, SICA, through June of 2014.  We want to continue the conversation that President Obama launched with SICA leaders in May of last year in Costa Rica, and again with the ultimate goal of promoting regional integration that’s going to be very important to the Caribbean and Central America’s ability to compete in the global economy.
 
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Just before we open it up for questions, I wanted to highlight the fact that as I said at the outset of the goal, Dr. Biden will be joining the Vice President in both Chile and the Dominican Republic.  And she will participate in some of the inauguration activities in Chile, and also pursue some of her own events and activities in both Chile and the Dominican Republic.  And we’ll provide more details on that in the next day or so.
 
Q    Hi, this is FOX News Latino.  I was wondering if the Vice President will be discussing any matters regarding to the unrest in Venezuela with either President-Elect Bachelet, or with President Santos in Colombia, or President Peña Nieto in Mexico?
 
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Let me start -- I’ll turn it over to my colleague by saying that Venezuela will be at or near the top of the agenda in all of these bilateral meetings, the concerns that the entire region has about the unrest and the challenges there.  In terms of more specifics on that, let me turn it over to my colleague.
 
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  I think the entire region has shown concern regarding events in Venezuela, particularly to the arrest of people for freely expressing their views and for exercising their right to freedom of assembly, among other issues.  But we’ve been very clear that the view of the United States is that the outcome -- a successful outcome is going to require third party mediations.  And we’re going to continue to support any efforts to achieve the release of people arrested in this upsurge, and also to call on the government to halt its practice really of demonizing the opposition and of allowing essentially vigilante groups to intimidate and use violence against people who are peacefully demonstrating against the government.  So with that --
 
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  And we expect the Vice President will speak to this issue in regional media in the run-up to the trip.
 
Q    How important is it for the U.S. to address the constitutional crisis (inaudible)?  And what should the American government have done about it?
 
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Okay, so I didn’t clearly hear the call.  But I understand it has to do with the Constitutional Tribunal’s ruling in the Dominican Republic.  So let me address that. 
 
First of all, we recognize that every country has the sovereign right to determine its nationality laws and its domestic legislation.  With respect to the constitutional court ruling, we've conveyed our deep concern to the government of the Dominican Republic regarding the impact on the citizenship status of persons living in the Dominican Republic, including those with longstanding either residence or close ties to the Dominican Republic.  Our understanding is that perhaps as many as 200,000 people could be affected by this.
 
We've engaged at senior levels with Dominican authorities who’ve been very transparent with us in discussing their approach to this and their desire to achieve a resolution that is nondiscriminatory and that reflects the need to have a just solution for people who have longstanding ties and connections to the Dominican Republic, and also to not further those groups that are already in a condition of vulnerability or that would be at risk in other senses, or deny them documentation and the ability to fully participate in the country -- they belong and where they live. 
 
So this is something that is important not just to us, but other members of the international community, and it's something that we've worked very closely on with a number of partners.  And we know that other actors are also very active in dealing with this.
 
MS. TROTTER:  Thanks, everyone.
 
END
11:17 A.M. EST

The White House

Office of the Vice President

For Immediate Release
March 05, 2014

Readout of the Vice President’s Call with Latvian President Andris Berzins

In a telephone call earlier today, Vice President Biden and Latvian President Andris Berzins expressed their grave concern over Russia’s clear violation of Ukrainian sovereignty and territorial integrity and discussed how best to bring about a peaceful resolution.  The Vice President reaffirmed the United States’ longstanding and continuing commitment to peace and security in the Baltic region.