Press Releases: U.S. Department of State Launches Partnership With Kentucky State Police 


Media Note

Office of the Spokesperson

Washington, DC

November 27, 2017


Today, Acting Assistant Secretary of State for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) Daniel L. Foote signed a partnership agreement with Commissioner Richard W. Sanders, the head of the Kentucky State Police (KSP), to enhance the Department of State’s police assistance to international law enforcement agencies.

Under this partnership – one of 25 that INL has established with U.S. state and local law enforcement departments – the KSP will assist in helping U.S. partner nations in the fight against crime. KSP’s expertise in police operations and investigations, including illegal drug trafficking and organized crime, and their nationally accredited forensic laboratories will provide tremendous value to international counterparts facing criminal threats. These impressive capabilities are a representative sample of a broad skill set that INL hopes to tap into to advance criminal justice assistance and the fight against organized crime abroad.

INL establishes partnerships with U.S. state and local law enforcement, corrections, justice sector, and ports institutions to provide criminal justice expertise to international counterparts. KSP is INL’s 25th police partner and is one of six state police agencies to join the partnership program. Through this partnership, KSP will help foreign counterparts build capacity, improve efficiencies, and deliver effective criminal justice functions while also developing key relationships overseas.

Details can be found at http://www.state.gov/j/inl/civ/index.htm.

Please contact INL-PAPD@state.gov for more information.






Press Releases: Plenary Speakers and U.S. Government Principals at the Global Entrepreneurship Summit


Media Note

Office of the Spokesperson

Washington, DC

November 27, 2017


The Global Entrepreneurship Summit is being held for the first time in South Asia in Hyderabad, India, from November 28-30. Co-hosted by the Governments of the United States and India, Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi will inaugurate the summit and Advisor to the President Ivanka Trump will lead the U.S. contingent to GES.

This is the eighth edition of the Global Entrepreneurship Summit, the preeminent gathering of entrepreneurs, investors, and supporters from around the world. The summit will focus on the theme of “Women First, Prosperity for All,” and this will be the first GES in which women are the majority, over 52.5 per cent, of the participants. More than 10 countries will be represented by an all-female delegation, including from Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, and Israel. A number of leading female voices will speak at various plenaries, breakout sessions, master classes, and workshops, including Google’s Vice President of Next Billion Users Diana Louise Patricia Layfield, tennis champion Sania Mirza, and CEO of Afghan Citadel Software Company Roya Mahboob. This year’s summit theme demonstrates the commitment of the U.S. and Indian governments to the principle that when women are economically empowered, their communities and countries thrive. Women entrepreneurs help drive innovation and job creation, as well as address the world’s greatest and most critical challenges.

The inaugural plenary of the high-powered, three-day summit will take place on Tuesday at the Hyderabad International Convention Centre followed by two days of networking, mentoring, and workshops, anchoring the collaborative environment for entrepreneurs to exchange ideas, create networks, and take their passions to the next level. A line up of the speakers at the plenary session is listed below.

Tuesday, November 28, 4:30 p.m.

Be the Change: Women’s Entrepreneurial Leadership

  • Remarks by Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi
  • Remarks by Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao
  • Remarks by Advisor to the President of the United States Ivanka Trump
  • Remarks will be followed by a panel session on opening up opportunities for women entrepreneurs in their countries and communities.
    • Moderated by John Chambers, Chairman Emeritus, Cisco
    • Panelists:
    • Ivanka Trump, Advisor to the President of the United States
    • Sibongile Sambo, Managing Director, SRS Aviation and SRS Petroleum
    • Nirmala Sitharaman, Minister of Defense, Government of India
    • Marcus Wallenberg, Chairman, Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken (SEB)

Wednesday, November 29, 9:00 a.m.

We Can Do It! Innovations in Workforce Development and Skills Training

  • A discussion on increasing women’s participation in the workforce through access to skills training, education, and mentorship. Innovators in workforce development and training will discuss what works and what more can be done to open doors for women in the workplace.
  • Moderated by K.T. Rama Rao; Minister for IT E&C, MAUD, Industries and Commerce, Mines and Geology Public Enterprises, and NRI Affairs; Government of Telangana, India
  • Panelists:
    • Cherie Blair, Founder, Cherie Blair Foundation for Women, CBE, QC
    • Chanda Kochhar, Managing Director and CEO, ICICI Bank, Limited
    • Karen Quintos, Chief Customer Officer, Dell EMC
    • Ivanka Trump, Advisor to the President of the United States

Thursday, November 30, 3:45 p.m.

When Women Win, We All Win: Promoting Inclusive Environments for Women Entrepreneurs

  • The closing session of GES will bring together key influencers that support, promote, and fund women entrepreneurs. Panelists will share efforts to advance women in leadership positions and ensure that women have “seats at the table” while breaking down the barriers that disproportionately affect women’s ability to start and grow businesses.
  • Moderated by Suresh Prabhu, Minister of Commerce and Industry, Government of India
  • Panelists:
    • Kristina Perkin Davison, Co-Founder and Managing Director, iEurope Capital LLC
    • Dipali Goenka, CEO and Joint Managing Director, Welspun India
    • Mark Green, Administrator, U.S. Agency for International Development
    • Lerato Motsamai, Founder and CEO, PETROLINK
    • Manish Sabharwal, Chairman, TeamLease

These plenary participants will join dozens of other session speakers and experts and an outstanding group of 1,500 entrepreneurs, investors, and supporters of entrepreneurship from more than 150 countries and territories across the world. In addition to entrepreneurs traveling from across the globe to share their incredible stories and innovative projects, several U.S. government officials will also participate in GES, including:

  • Mark Green, Administrator, U.S. Agency for International Development
  • Ray Washburne, CEO, Overseas Private Investment Corporation
  • Jovita Carranza, Treasurer of the United States
  • Neomi Rao, Administrator, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs
  • Patricia Green, Director of the Women’s Bureau, Department of Labor

For more information on these and the other GES speakers, and about the summit itself, please visit www.ges2017.org. Media inquiries about the summit should be sent to summitmedia@state.gov.






Press Releases: Secretary Tillerson To Deliver Remarks on U.S.-European Relations at The Wilson Center


Notice to the Press

Office of the Spokesperson

Washington, DC

November 26, 2017


U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will deliver remarks on “The U.S. and Europe: Strengthening Western Alliances” at The Wilson Center at 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, November 28, 2017.

The event is open to credentialed members of the press. All interested press should RSVP no later than Monday, November 27 at 5:00 p.m. to The Wilson Center by emailing Ryan McKenna at ryan.mckenna@wilsoncenter.org. The Wilson Center will provide information on preset times and media credentials upon receipt of an RSVP.

The Secretary’s remarks will be streamed live on www.state.gov and www.wilsoncenter.org. Follow @StateDept for more information.

For further information from the Department of State, please contact the Office of Press Relations at (202) 647-2492.






Press Releases: On Riyadh Opposition Conference


Press Statement

Heather Nauert

Department Spokesperson

Washington, DC

November 26, 2017


The United States notes the successful conclusion of the Riyadh II conference of the Syrian opposition and its work to bring together a diverse array of groups to form a unified delegation that can enter into substantive negotiations in the upcoming round of UN sponsored talks in Geneva.

The United States commends the role of Saudi Arabia, the organizer of the Syrian Opposition Conference in Riyadh. We congratulate the new Negotiating Committee and its General Coordinator Nasr Hariri, as they prepare to embark on the discussions that can ultimately lead to a political solution to the conflict.

The process that can bring this about must include full implementation of UNSCR 2254, including constitutional reform and free and fair elections under UN supervision, held to the highest international standards of transparency, with all Syrians, including members of the diaspora, eligible to participate.

The Geneva process, as it gains traction towards constitutional reform and UN-supervised elections, should include the broadest spectrum of Syrian citizens, including all groups with representation and influence on the ground who express commitment to a new Syria as outlined in UNSCR 2254. The formation of the unified delegation for this round of UN-led Geneva talks is a positive step in that direction. We hope that all parties to the talks in Geneva will display the seriousness and flexibility to find a solution that can bring an end to this conflict and to the suffering of the Syrian people. We call in particular upon the Syrian regime now to enter into substantive negotiations in Geneva on the basis of UNSCR 2254.






Press Releases: On the Occasion of the Inauguration of the New President of the Kyrgyz Republic


Press Statement

Heather Nauert

Department Spokesperson

Washington, DC

November 24, 2017


The United States government congratulates the Kyrgyz Republic’s newly elected President, Sooronbay Jeenbekov, on his inauguration, which took place today in Bishkek. The United States commends President Jeenbekov and the Kyrgyz people on their commitment to democracy, the orderly election process, and a peaceful transfer of power, the first such transition between democratically elected leaders in Central Asian history. The United States has been a friend and partner of the Kyrgyz Republic for more than 25 years, and we remain committed to the Kyrgyz Republic’s success as a democratic, prosperous, and stable country. The United States looks forward to working with the newly elected President and his administration in the spirit of equality, trust, and mutual respect.