Secretary Rubio (00:16):
Well, let's get our picture. Hold on here.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
Okay, cut. One, two, three.
Secretary Rubio (00:27):
Let's do the handshake one. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (00:31):
One, two, three.
Secretary Rubio (00:36):
Good.
Foreign Minister Al Zayani (00:36):
Thank you.
Secretary Rubio (00:36):
Thank you.
Speaker 4 (00:40):
Good morning. I'm Anne Gansler. I'm the Principle Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, and I am delighted to welcome you to this signing of the U.S. Firing Nuclear Cooperation Memorandum of Understanding, or NCMOU. Developing civil nuclear energy at home and abroad is a major priority for the United States, as reflected in the four executive orders our President signed this past May.
(01:09)
This NCMOU represents an important step towards deepening a robust civil nuclear partnership between the United States and Bahrain, and it builds on our country's already successful collaboration through our foundational infrastructure for responsible use of small modulary reactor technology, or first program. This NCMOU will enhance our energy security, advance mutual prosperity through the expanded economic cooperation it will introduce, and promote the highest standards of nuclear safety, security, and non-proliferation.
(01:51)
I thank you all for joining us this morning and I now would turn it over to Secretary Rubio for his remarks, followed by Foreign Minister Al Zayani. Thank you.
Secretary Rubio (02:00):
Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you for all the hard work that went into doing this. Thank you, Your Excellency, for being here today. This is an important signing. It serves as the first step towards a deeper civil nuclear cooperation, an example that the United States is prepared to be a partner with any nation on Earth that wants to pursue a civil nuclear program that clearly is not geared towards weaponization or threatening the security of their neighbors. And there is no one better to do it with than such a strong partner that we've been working with for so long.
(02:32)
This only strengthens our relationship. We're all aware of our partnerships already that are in place, whether it's a free trade agreement or the Fifth Fleet, obviously the Abraham Accords, the comprehensive security integration and prosperity agreement that, by the way, the United Kingdom has now also joined, and we're very excited about that. All of these things bring us closer together.
(02:55)
And I think later today, along with our respective heads of state, we're going to have an opportunity to protect the heads of government. We're going to have an opportunity to have a meeting and lunch over at the White House as well, so it will be exciting. And so, this is a… I would just say, to brag a little bit, I think US private sector technology is the best in the world, and the best in the world at helping such close allies like Bahrain achieve the hopes that they have for their own future, be able to generate energy.
(03:22)
Energy is key to everything. We talk about any industry or any business endeavor, you can't do it without energy. This is an exciting new technology that we hope to be sharing with many of our partners, but this is among our closest in the world. And so, we look forward to collaborating and building a civil nuclear capacity with you together and through US companies and through your companies, and we're excited about the opportunity to be here. Welcome to Washington, and hopefully we'll be seeing each other many, many more times.
(03:52)
Well, we'll see each other later today, isn't it?
Foreign Minister Al Zayani (03:53):
Yes sir.
Secretary Rubio (03:53):
We'll see each other many other times as well. So thank you so much, Your Excellence.
Foreign Minister Al Zayani (03:56):
Thank you.
Secretary Rubio (03:57):
Appreciate it.
Foreign Minister Al Zayani (03:57):
Well said. [inaudible 00:03:59]. Thank you, Secretary Rubio, for your warm welcome and for your kind remarks. I am pleased and honored to be part of the delegation accompanying his Royal Highness, Salman bin Hamad Al Kalifa, Crown Prince and Prime Minister of the kingdom of Bahrain as we return to Washington to further strengthen the already robust strategic partnership between our two nations.
(04:34)
The signing of this MOU on strategic civilian nuclear cooperation further advances this process, underscoring our shared commitment to the peaceful use of nuclear technology to benefit our countries and societies. There is no doubt that cooperation on nuclear technology will be a vital contributor to our shared responsibility and prosperity in the years ahead. And we in Bahrain deeply value the chance to benefit from the U.S. world leading technology and expertise in this field.
(05:24)
Further, signing this MOU reinforces our two countries' determination to prevent the proliferation of nuclear or other weapons of mass destruction as an essential element of regional security. Under the leadership of His Majesty, King Hamad bin Asa Al Kalifa, and with the support and guidance of His Royal Highness, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Bahrain, stands shoulder to shoulder with the United States in seeking stability in the Middle East.
(06:07)
I want to restate our strong appreciation and begging for President Donald Trump's tireless work towards achieving ceasefires, building confidence, and ultimately achieving a secure region in which all its peoples can live in peace and prosperity. Secretary Rubio, today's MOU is a further step forward for our two countries, demonstrating once again close, effective cooperation and the values of it.
(06:53)
I look forward to working with you, sir, to implement the MOU's provisions and to ensuring that our countries and peoples can fully benefit from its potential and opportunities in these. Thank you once again, Secretary Rubio.
Secretary Rubio (07:15):
Thank you, sir.
Speaker 4 (07:20):
Mr. Secretary, the Foreign Minister, I invite you to sign the NCMOU.
Foreign Minister Al Zayani (07:59):
Like this over here.
Speaker 5 (08:12):
Mr. Secretary, any comments on the Israeli strikes on Syria today?
Secretary Rubio (08:17):
We're going to be working on that issue as we speak. I just got off the phone with the relevant parties. We're very concerned about it. Hopefully, we'll have some updates later today. We're very concerned about it. We want it to stop.
Speaker 4 (08:32):
Thank you for join-
Secretary Rubio (08:33):
Oh, I'm sorry. We want the fighting to stop because we had a ceasefire [inaudible 00:08:38], so we're talking to both sides, all the relevant sides, on the incident. Hopefully, we can bring it to a conclusion, but we're very concerned about it.
Speaker 4 (08:47):
Thank you for joining us today. This concludes our ceremony.