Colombia, Brazil, Belgium, and France, April 13-19

Secretary Clinton: Travel to Colombia, Brazil, Belgium, and France

April 13, 2012 to April 19, 2012

Travels With
Secretary of State
Hillary Rodham Clinton

Picture of Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton

Interactive Travel Map | Photos

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton traveled to Colombia, Brazil, Belgium and France from April 13 to April 19. Secretary Clinton accompanied President Obama for the Sixth Summit of the Americas in Cartagena, Colombia from April 13-15. There, the U.S. delegation met with democratically elected heads of state and government from throughout the Hemisphere to strengthen ties, expand partnerships, and continue progress in economic growth, social inclusion, and citizen security.

The Secretary then traveled to Brasilia, Brazil April 16-17. On April 16, she led the U.S. delegation for the third U.S.-Brazil Global Partnership Dialogue. This Dialogue builds upon the agreements the United States and Brazil reached during President Obama’s visit to Brazil in 2011 and President Rousseff’s visit to the United States on April 9-10, 2012. Issues discussed in the Global Partnership Dialogue range from development and education cooperation to global political and economic issues. The Dialogue provides a forum to transform our agreements into concrete action. The Secretary also met with government officials and representative of the private sector.

On April 17, the Secretary provided opening remarks with Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff at the First Annual High-Level Meeting of the Open Government Partnership (OGP). Launched eight months ago by Presidents Obama and Rousseff, OGP formally welcomed 42 new countries into the Partnership as they announced concrete commitments to prevent corruption, promote transparency, and harness new technologies to empower citizens.

Secretary Clinton visited Brussels, Belgium April 18-19 to participate in a joint meeting of NATO foreign and defense ministers and to hold a bilateral meeting with Belgian Minister of Foreign Affairs Didier Reynders. At NATO, the Secretary and her foreign and defense minister counterparts discussed preparations for the upcoming NATO Summit, which the President will host in Chicago May 20-21, 2012. At the joint ministerial meeting, ministers reviewed the status of NATO’s transition strategy for Afghanistan, new capabilities for the Alliance and NATO’s global partnerships. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta participated on April 18. On April 19, NATO foreign ministers met with their non-NATO partners in the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). The Secretary also participated in a foreign ministers’ meeting of the NATO-Russia Council on April 19. Secretary Clinton also traveled to Paris, France for an ad hoc ministerial meeting on Syria.

Remarks
04/19/2012 Interview With Wolf Blitzer of CNN
04/19/2012 Remarks at the Ad Hoc Ministerial Meeting on Syria
04/18/2012 Remarks With Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta
04/17/2012 Remarks at the Open Government Partnership Opening Session
04/16/2012 Remarks With Brazilian Foreign Minister Antonio de Aguiar Patriota
04/16/2012 Meets With Embassy Brasilia Staff and Their Families
04/16/2012 Remarks at the Business Leaders' Lunch
04/13/2012 Remarks at the WEAmericas Women's Entrepreneurship Event in Cartagena, Colombia
04/13/2012 Remarks at the Launch of "Connect 2022" Initiative at CEO Summit
04/13/2012 Remarks at the Summit of the Americas Civil Society Meeting
04/12/2012 Remarks at the White House Conference on Connecting the Americas