News from Washington

President Obama's Trip to Europe

Remarks of President Barack Obama at Student Roundtable (April 7, 2009)

PRESIDENT OBAMA: Thank you so much. Well, it is a great pleasure to be here. Let me begin by thanking Professor Rahmi Aksungur -- did I say that properly -- who is director of the university here. And I want to thank all the young people who've gathered together. This is a great privilege for me and I'm really looking forward to it.

I'm going to make a few remarks at the beginning and then I want to spend most of the time having an exchange and giving you an opportunity to ask -- ask questions of me and I may ask some questions of you. (more)

Remarks by President Obama to the Turkish Parliament (April 6, 2009)

PRESIDENT OBAMA: Mr. Speaker, Madam Deputy Speaker, distinguished members, I am honored to speak in this chamber, and I am committed to renewing the alliance between our nations and the friendship between our people.

This is my first trip overseas as President of the United States. I've been to the G20 summit in London, and the NATO summit in Strasbourg, and the European Union summit in Prague. Some people have asked me if I chose to continue my travels to Ankara and Istanbul to send a message to the world. And my answer is simple: Evet -- yes. (Applause.) Turkey is a critical ally. Turkey is an important part of Europe. And Turkey and the United States must stand together -- and work together -- to overcome the challenges of our time. (more)

Remarks by President Obama and Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan after Meeting (April 6, 2009)

PRIME MINISTER ERDOGAN: (As translated.) Distinguished members of the press. Let me start by saying how pleased I am to have this opportunity to host the distinguished President of the United States, Barack Hussein Obama.

We have had a very busy day in Ankara today and it will continue with a reception in Istanbul, and then we will have an ongoing -- a continuing program tomorrow, which will mean that the visit to Turkey will have been quite a busy one. (more)

Remarks by President Obama Before Meeting With President Kaczynski and Prime Minister Tusk Of Poland (April 5, 2009)

PRESIDENT OBAMA: Let me just say very briefly that the relationship between the United States and Poland is one of the strongest in the world. It's based not only on shared values, but also on the fact that, just to give you an example, in Chicago, my friends from Poland and the contribution they've made to our city is part of what makes America. So we have benefited from Polish culture and the Polish people and the outstanding Polish character. (more)

Remarks by President Barack Obama, Hradcany Square, Prague, Czech Republic (April 5, 2009)

PRESIDENT OBAMA: Thank you so much. Thank you for this wonderful welcome. Thank you to the people of Prague. Thank you to the people of the Czech Republic. (Applause.) Today, I'm proud to stand here with you in the middle of this great city, in the center of Europe. (Applause.) And, to paraphrase one of my predecessors, I am also proud to be the man who brought Michelle Obama to Prague. (Applause.)

To Mr. President, Mr. Prime Minister, to all the dignitaries who are here, thank you for your extraordinary hospitality. And to the people of the Czech Republic, thank you for your friendship to the United States. (Applause.) (more)

Remarks by President Barack Obama Before Meeting with President Klaus and Prime Minister Topolanek of the Czech Republic (April 5, 2009)

PRESIDENT OBAMA: Hello, everybody. It is -- let me begin by thanking the President and First Lady for their extraordinary hospitality in this spectacular setting in this beautiful city, in a country that is one of America's greatest friends. And I am thrilled to be in Prague, Michelle is thrilled to be in Prague. And everybody has been extraordinarily gracious. So the main message I have, first of all, is thank you for the friendship, for the cooperation, for the strategic partnership that exists between our two countries. (more)

WEEKLY ADDRESS: President Obama Hails Unprecedented G-20 Action to Address Global Economic Downturn (April 4, 2009) 

WASHINGTON – In his weekly address, President Barack Obama praised the agreement of the G-20 nations to act together as a turning point in this global economic slump. With the American economy inextricably linked to the global economy, global coordination is needed to restore lending, spur job growth, reform financial regulation and ultimately fix our economy. The President also discussed his meetings with Chinese President Hu, Russian President Medvedev, and America’s NATO allies. (more)

Remarks by President Obama at Strasbourg Town Hall (April 3, 2009)

President Obama: Thank you so much. (Applause.) Good afternoon. Bon après-midi. (Applause.) And guten tag. It is a great honor for me to be here in Europe, to be here in Strasbourg. I want to make just a few acknowledgements. I want to thank the President of France, Nicolas Sarkozy, for being such a terrific friend. I want to thank his wife, Madam Sarkozy. They just hosted us at the palace and could not have been more gracious. (more)

Remarks by President Obama and Russian President Medvedev after Meeting (April 1, 2009)

President Obama: Let me just make a brief comment. I am very grateful to President Medvedev for taking the time to visit with me today. I'm particularly gratified because prior to the meeting our respective teams had worked together and had developed a series of approaches to areas of common interest that I think present great promise. (more)

Joint Statement by Dmitriy A. Medvedev, President of the Russian Federation, and Barack Obama, President of the United States of America, Regarding Negotiations on Further Reductions in Strategic Offensive Arms (April 1, 2009)

The President of the United States of America, Barack Obama, and the President of the Russian Federation, Dmitriy A. Medvedev, noted that the Treaty on the Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms (START Treaty), which expires in December 2009, has completely fulfilled its intended purpose and that the maximum levels for strategic offensive arms recorded in the Treaty were reached long ago. They have therefore decided to move further along the path of reducing and limiting strategic offensive arms in accordance with U.S. and Russian obligations under Article VI of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. (more)

Joint Statement by President Dmitriy Medvedev of the Russian Federation and President Barack Obama of the United States of America (April 1, 2009)

Reaffirming that the era when our countries viewed each other as enemies is long over, and recognizing our many common interests, we today established a substantive agenda for Russia and the United States to be developed over the coming months and years.  We are resolved to work together to strengthen strategic stability, international security, and jointly meet contemporary global challenges, while also addressing disagreements openly and honestly in a spirit of mutual respect and acknowledgement of each other’s perspective. (more)