The U.S. Department of State, and the Office of the Chief of Protocol, are proud to announce the 22nd Experience America trip to Indianapolis, Indiana, with members of the foreign Diplomatic Corps, May 6-8, 2018.

Over 30 foreign ambassadors – representing countries across four continents – will join Ambassador Sean P. Lawler, Chief of Protocol of the United States, to engage local business and community leaders and spotlight America’s heartland. Indianapolis has emerged on the world stage as a signature city for companies in information technology, automotive and advanced manufacturing, as well as biomedical and pharmaceutical research.

This visit will not only highlight the economic growth occurring throughout Indiana, but also provide countless opportunities to create new global partnerships and boost trade and investment.

Sunday, May 6th – 6:30 p.m. Welcome Reception at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Headquarters, Hall of Champions – An opportunity for the foreign ambassadors to meet and interact with Indianapolis’s top academic and cultural leaders. Event will feature remarks by representatives of Indiana, Ambassador Lawler and officials from the NCAA.

Monday, May 7th – 8:15 a.m. In Conversation with Indiana University – This event will feature a discussion about the newly established Center for Rural Engagement at Indiana University-Bloomington illustrating how IU is connecting its broad resources with community projects and partnerships to address challenges and opportunities across southwest central Indiana. The conversation will highlight how the center’s various initiatives will improve the lives of people living across the region, and illustrate how university-led collaboration can create unique solutions to complex challenges common to rural communities all around the nation.

Monday, May 7th – 12:30 a.m. Manufacturing Plant Tour at the Cummins Midrange Engine Plant – Diplomats will witness the latest in how technology shapes the future of manufacturing at the Cummins Midrange Engine Plant (CMEP). Cummins is a global power and technology leader in the design and manufacture of a variety of power solutions including clean diesel and near-zero natural gas engines. At CMEP, Cummins will highlight the latest in advanced manufacturing and automation, and spotlight how leading manufacturing capabilities and a dynamic workforce power local economic growth and contribute to the creation of vibrant communities.

Monday, May 7th – 5:30 p.m. Community Reception at the Cummins Indiana Distribution Headquarters – During an evening reception in downtown Indianapolis, Cummins executives and Board Members will host elected officials and community leaders from across Indiana to meet Ambassadors and discuss how businesses and governments drive global economic and job growth. Remarks by Ambassador Lawler, The Honorable Joe Hogsett, Mayor of Indianapolis and Cummins Chairman and CEO, Tom Linebarger.

Tuesday, May 8th – 8:15 a.m. Indianapolis-Region Business Breakfast – Diplomats will connect with the Indianapolis region’s business community through a breakfast hosted by the Indy Chamber. A panel discussion by executives will introduce key industries in the region and their ties to international commerce, as well as opportunities to build global business connections within and among the region.

Other closed-press events include a tour of the The Dallara IndyCar Factory and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, a tour of Eli Lilly and Company’s headquarters facility and a demonstration of innovative methods Lilly is bringing to biotechnology research, and a visit to the Kennedy King Memorial

For more information and to RSVP for any event, please contact Tim Gowa at GowaTM@state.gov by Thursday, May 3.

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PRIME MINISTER NETANYAHU: Good afternoon. Secretary Pompeo, Mike, it’s wonderful to welcome you. This is your first visit to Israel as Secretary of State. I think it’s significant that you chose, as did the President, to include Israel on this important itinerary. I think it’s symbolic of our friendship, which is deep, and getting even deeper and stronger. We’ve known each other for some time, I followed your activities in Congress and then as CIA, now as Secretary of State. You’re a true friend of Israel, a true friend of the Jewish people, and I look forward to working with you in your new role. We’ve just had very productive, very focused conversations on our common interests and how to defend our common value.

I want to thank again President Trump for his historic decision on recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. We look forward to welcoming the American delegation to celebrate the relocation of the embassy with you, Ambassador Friedman. I must tell you that the bold decision by President Trump has prompted other countries – there are quite a few now who are planning to move their embassy to Jerusalem as well. It says something about American leadership and about the forthright way in which simple truths are being put forward and the effect this has on the international scene.

Mr. Secretary, I think the greatest threat to the world and to our two countries and to all countries is the marriage of militant Islam with nuclear weapons, and specifically, the attempt of Iran to acquire nuclear weapons. We’ve had a very productive talk today on this subject as well. I appreciate the President’s leadership and your position on stopping Iran from ever acquiring nuclear weapons. I appreciate the President’s and your position on stopping Iran’s aggression in the region. That aggression has grown many-fold since the signing of the Iranian deal. If people thought that Iran’s aggression would be moderated as a result of signing the deal, the opposite has happened, and Iran is trying to gobble up one country after the other. Iran must be stopped. Its quest for nuclear bombs must be stopped. Its aggression must be stopped. And we’re committed to stopping it together.

I was very much encouraged, once again, by the steadfast support of the United States for Israel and for this common effort, which encompasses many other countries, as you know – as you well know, Mr. Secretary. But our bond is special. It’s based on shared values of democracy, freedom, the quest for security and peace, and I can say that today America and Israel are closer than ever before. And I have no doubt that our alliance will grow even closer in the years ahead.

So I want to welcome you back to Israel, Mr. Secretary. It’s a pleasure to see you and I wish you the best of luck in your important mission. Thank you.

SECRETARY POMPEO: Thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you.

Well, good afternoon. It is a great honor to be here on my first trip as Secretary of State. I’ve been the Secretary for a handful of hours. As I was saying earlier, I haven’t been to my office yet.

As you said, this relationship’s never been stronger, and I think we should both be proud of that. We had fantastic conversations today on difficult issues facing each of us. We are incredibly proud to be opening the new embassy on May 14th, well ahead of the original timetable. This step comes as Israel celebrates its 70th anniversary of independence and 70 years of recognition as steadfast support for Israel from the American people as well. By recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and the seat of its government, we’re recognizing reality. I also stress, as President Trump has said in December, the boundaries of Israeli sovereignty in Jerusalem remain subject to negotiations between the parties, and we remain committed to achieving a lasting and comprehensive peace that offers a brighter future for both Israel and the Palestinians.

Many of our conversations today, Mr. Prime Minister, as you said, centered on Iran. Strong cooperation with close allies like you is critical to our efforts to counter Iran’s destabilizing and malign activity throughout the Middle East and indeed throughout the world. We remain deeply concerned about Iran’s dangerous escalation of threats to Israel and the region, and Iran’s ambition to dominate the Middle East remains. The United States is with Israel in this fight and we strongly support Israel’s sovereign right to defend itself.

Regarding the JCPOA, President Trump’s been pretty clear. This deal is very flawed. He’s directed the administration to try and fix it, and if we can’t fix it, he’s going to withdraw from the deal. It’s pretty straightforward. Unlike the past administration, President Trump has a comprehensive Iran strategy that is designed to counter the full array of threats emanating from Tehran.

As part of the President’s comprehensive Iran strategy, we are also working to counter the broad set of non-nuclear threats: Iran’s missile systems, its support for Hizballah, the importation of thousands of proxy fighters into Syria, and its assistance to the Houthi rebels in Yemen. We look forward to working closely with strong allies like Israel in countering these threats and rolling back the full range of Iranian malign influence.

Regarding Syria, where the barbaric Assad regime is propped up by Iran, the United States’ top priorities are to defeat ISIS, de-escalate violence, deter the use of chemical weapons, and ensure the safe delivery of humanitarian aid and support an ultimate political resolution to the conflict. Our strategy to do that remains unchanged. We strongly support the UN-led efforts in Geneva to bring an end to the Syrian conflict, which has gone on for far too long.

We know there are many challenges ahead and we look forward to being your partner in resolving each of them. The United States and Israel I know together can achieve that. It’s great to be back.

PRIME MINISTER NETANYAHU: Thank you.

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QUESTION: Secretary Pompeo, thank you for joining us on your very first trip as Secretary of State.

SECRETARY POMPEO: Thank you, Jonathan. It’s great to be with you.

QUESTION: So I want to start with those incredible images that we saw of Kim Jong-un stepping into South Korea – the first time we have ever seen a North Korean dictator do that, how big, how significant, was that moment?

SECRETARY POMPEO: Yeah, Jonathan, I think it’s a big deal. It’s important. Every step along the way matters. The objective remains the same: complete, verifiable, irreversible denuclearization. That’s been the administration’s goal. President Trump has put economic pressure on the North Koreans, and it appears to have given us this opening, this real opportunity for something that would be transformative for the world if we can achieve it.

QUESTION: And let’s look at those – more remarkable images of your meeting with Kim Jong-un, the two of you just standing there side-by-side. What was going through your mind at that moment?

SECRETARY POMPEO: Well, I was on a mission, Jonathan. I had a mission to begin to lay the groundwork for President Trump’s meeting with Kim Jong-un. We wanted to make sure we understood that the North Koreans, Kim Jong-un, was prepared to talk about the things that matter most to give us a grounds, a basis, to have that meeting between the President and the chairman. I was very focused on that in that moment.

QUESTION: The President said that the meeting, the meeting between the two of you, was entirely unplanned and it lasted for more than an hour. How did it come about?

SECRETARY POMPEO: Well, I was there on a mission. I was aiming to achieve the goals the President set forward to me. It became clear that I was going to get the chance to meet with Kim Jong-un to discuss some of the details, but most importantly, to take a read on whether there was an opportunity here for our two countries to achieve this. And when I came back, I reported in to the President the discussion. It was a productive one. There remains a great deal of work to do, but we at least have an opportunity here to do something that’s incredibly important.

QUESTION: As the CIA director, you obviously spent a lot of time and the CIA has spent years, resources on trying to read the North Korean leadership, trying to understand Kim Jong-un. What did you come away learning about him in that meeting?

SECRETARY POMPEO: Well, any time you get a chance to meet face to face with someone you get a better read about what they’re thinking, whether they’re really prepared to do something that is historic and different. And we’ve got a long history in negotiating with North Korea. Repeatedly, they have taken actions, only to find that those promises proved false or unworthy, or they were uncapable of achieving them. My goal was to try and identify if there was a real opportunity there. I believe there is. Who knows how the ultimate discussions will go. There is a lot of work left to do, but I’m very hopeful that the conditions that have been set by President Trump give us this chance.

QUESTION: The President said that you have a good relationship with Kim Jong-un after this – a good relationship. Do you?

SECRETARY POMPEO: We had a good conversation. We talked about serious matters. He was very well prepared; I hope I matched that. We had a extensive conversation on the hardest issues that face our two countries. I had a clear mission statement from President Trump. When I left there, Kim Jong-un understood the mission exactly as I’ve described it today, and he agreed that he was prepared to talk about that and to lay out a map that would help us achieve that objective. Only time will tell if we can get that done.

QUESTION: So you went there to set up this summit meeting between Kim Jong-un and the President or to take steps towards doing that. What do you – looking at this, what is your assessment? What is the best plausible outcome that can – that we can see after this first meeting of Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un?

SECRETARY POMPEO: Well, we hope a number of things could be achieved. I talked about getting the release of the American detainees, and then we talked a great deal about what it might look like, what this complete, verifiable, irreversible mechanism might look like. And so when the two leaders – the only people who can make those decisions – will be in a room together, they can set the course; they can chart the outcome; they can then direct the teams to go deliver that outcome. And the best outcome would be that, that the two agree that they’re going to get there and charter their teams to go make that happen.

QUESTION: So I want to play for you something that the National Security Advisor John Bolton said shortly before he came into the administration but right after this planned meeting was announced. This is what he said about negotiating with the North Koreans: “There’s an all-purpose joke here. Question: How do you know that the North Korean regime is lying? Answer: Their lips are moving.”

So that was obviously before John Bolton became national security advisor. He’s now working on this meeting. But given all of the broken promises on the nuclear issue that we have seen under President Clinton, President Bush, President Obama, three different North Korean leaders now, can you really trust anything that comes out of – out of a meeting with Kim Jong-un?

SECRETARY POMPEO: Jonathan, this administration has its eyes wide open. We know the history; we know the risks. We’re going to be very different. We’re going to negotiate in a different way than has been done before. We’re going to require those steps. We use the word “irreversible” with great intention. We’re going to require those steps that demonstrate that denuclearization is going to be achieved. We’re not going to take promises. We’re not going to take words. We’re going to look for actions and deeds. And until such time, the President has made incredibly clear we will keep the pressure campaign in place until we achieve that. That’s different. And so in each case, both countries will have to do more than words. We’ll have to actually deliver an outcome that is the one that Kim Jong-un and I had the chance to talk about at the direction of the President.

QUESTION: So you looked – you looked into his eyes. You spent more than an hour with him. You said it was a good conversation. The President said it was a good relationship that was developed. The President has also called him a madman. The President is not alone in calling Kim Jong-un a madman. How do you – how do you build a relationship with somebody who is seen as a madman?

SECRETARY POMPEO: I’m not one to do much about navel gazing or eye staring. I’m looking for actions. And that’s what President Trump is asking for too. We have built a coalition. A diplomatic coalition has come together to put pressure on Kim Jong-un. President Trump and that pressure campaign are the reasons Kim Jong-un wants this meeting. It’s the objective of our administration to achieve the outcome. That’s what we’ll be looking for between the President and Kim Jong-un.

QUESTION: Do you think he’s really had a change of heart on this? I mean, if you look at Kim Jong-un, this is somebody who assassinated his uncle right after coming into power, poisoned his half-brother, did more to advance North Korea’s nuclear facilities, its missile capabilities, than his father, did more to advance the military than his grandfather. Do you really think that he has had a change of heart on this and he is ready to give up the pride of that country right now, its nuclear program?

SECRETARY POMPEO: Kim Jong-un is going to have to make a decision. He is going to have to make a big decision. Does he want the pressure campaign to continue? Does he want President Trump to continue to place him in the location that he finds himself today? Or is he looking for something big and bold and different, something that hasn’t happened before?

I don’t know which way it will go. As the President has said, only time will tell. But we have a mission set. We have an obligation to engage in diplomatic discourse to try and find a peaceful solution so that Americans aren’t held at risk by Kim Jong-un and his nuclear arsenal. That’s the mission. That’s the goal. Only time will tell if we’re going to be able to achieve it.

QUESTION: And you’ve been clear this is complete, irreversible dismantlement of their nuclear programs, get rid of the nukes, get rid of the capabilities. Is he going to get any —

SECRETARY POMPEO: Yes, sir.

QUESTION: Is he going to get anything in return before he does that, or is there any lifting, any easing of sanctions, any reward given, before the total, irreversible dismantling of that nuclear program?

SECRETARY POMPEO: Jonathan, the administration has been very clear. We’ll see how the negotiations proceed, but we’re going to do it in a fundamentally different way than the previous efforts to persuade the North Koreans to get rid of their nuclear weapons program. We have our eyes wide open, Jonathan.

QUESTION: But nothing before it’s done? No partial steps?

SECRETARY POMPEO: Jonathan, we have our eyes wide open.

QUESTION: You were CIA director for 15 months. You had a sense, you’ve got – you’ve seen all the intelligence on this. We’ve seen the assessments. Are you confident that we truly know the extent of the North Korean nuclear program? Do we know where his bombs are? Do we know where all his nuclear facilities are at this point?

SECRETARY POMPEO: Jonathan, I’m not going to go into any detail on that.

QUESTION: Well, I’m just asking if you’re confident in the assessment. I’m not asking you what the assessment is. Do you believe – because he’s – he’s hidden nuclear capability in the past —

SECRETARY POMPEO: Jonathan, Jonathan, I’m not going to – I’m not going to talk about intelligence matters on the show this morning. I apologize for that. I just – you understand that I simply can’t do that.

QUESTION: So if diplomacy fails on this, is there a military option? Is there a realistic military option for getting rid of that nuclear program?

SECRETARY POMPEO: The President has been very clear, Jonathan. We’re not going to allow Kim Jong-un to continue to threaten America. We’re not going to let him develop a program such that Americans are held at risk.

QUESTION: I want to play something you said in July at the Aspen Forum —

SECRETARY POMPEO: Jonathan, I’m sorry. Jonathan, I’m sorry. I’m going to – I apologize. I’m going to have to run.

QUESTION: Can I – can I just ask you one more question before we head out here?

SECRETARY POMPEO: Sure.

QUESTION: I want to play something you said at the Aspen Forum in July: “The North Korean people, I am sure, are lovely people and would love to see him go as well. As you might know, they don’t live a very good life there.” So that was in July. That now – since then, you have been to North Korea, you have met directly with Kim Jong-un. Do you still think that the people there in North Korea would like to see him go?

SECRETARY POMPEO: Jonathan, what I said that evening I still believe. The people of North Korea live in very difficult conditions. I believe that one of the reasons that Kim Jong-un is engaged in this conversation is that the pressure campaign that has been applied by President Trump and, indeed, by the world has put them in an even more tenuous, more difficult position. And so I am optimistic. We will work hard to see if we can’t find a solution so that the North Korean people can, in fact, live a better life.

QUESTION: Our thanks to Secretary Pompeo, who spoke to us from Saudi Arabia.

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MS NAUERT: And I told them, sir, on the record, we only have five minutes, and we’re talking about Saudi portion of the trip. We don’t want to get ahead of Israel.

SECRETARY POMPEO: Sounds great. Who’s got something (Inaudible.)

QUESTION: How’d it go? (Laughter.)

SECRETARY POMPEO: It went great. The folks I was meeting were old friends, people I’ve known for quite some time, and they are fantastic partners and we share an enormous amount of interests (inaudible) Saudis (inaudible) national security meetings were cordial. We had some good discussions, and we wanted to make sure we were completely in sync. For the most part I think we share a great deal (inaudible) in terms of how we think about keeping stability.

QUESTION: Did you convince them to sort of settle the dispute with Qatar?

SECRETARY POMPEO: They’ll all figure it out.

QUESTION: That’s a no, then.

QUESTION: Is there any indication —

SECRETARY POMPEO: They’re going to figure out how to resolve this. I think they would all agree that it’s in everyone’s best interest if the Gulf states all figure out how to be together to meet the common challenge in Iran. They all recognize that. We’re hopeful that they will either (inaudible) figure out how to resolve the disputes between them.

QUESTION: (Inaudible) help you out more in northeast Syria?

SECRETARY POMPEO: Yeah, I think we had good conversations about that. It’s a complicated problem in Syria, as I think everyone would acknowledge, they would too, but my sense is that as we develop our plan forward, State Department will have its political component, right, in Geneva and the work that Secretary Mattis and his team have been doing on ground to build a coalition to help achieve our objectives, and I’m confident that the Saudis will work alongside us to help get there.

QUESTION: The Saudis have said that – al-Jubeir has said – has told my colleague —

SECRETARY POMPEO: Sorry?

QUESTION: The foreign ministry has told our colleagues that they are ready to move on troops on the ground if needed, but they’re waiting for the U.S.

SECRETARY POMPEO: We need to make sure we get it right. This is literally a situation so complex you want to measure twice and cut once, right? So I want to make sure we have our policies completely aligned, and at that time we’ll sit down and talk about how it’s the case that we can best make sure, as I think I mentioned in my remarks, that this is not America alone working on this, it is the Gulf states working alongside us to take care of their own region.

QUESTION: You spoke about the Iran nuclear deal. What was their – what was your take away from that? And can you rip up one nuclear deal while trying to forge a second one with North Korea? Doesn’t – isn’t that a contradiction?

SECRETARY POMPEO: No, no contradiction at all in my view. With – the first question was about their view. I think their view is similar to ours, which is the deal was inadequate. We need to try and fix it. They were hopeful. I gave them an update on our progress from my trip to Brussels, about the progress we’ve made with the Europeans. We’ve certainly made some, there’s still work to do. And they said great, we’ll support you if you get the fixes that are very much in line with our policy there.

With respect to the differences in the deal, I am confident that Kim Jong-un is looking for more than a piece of paper, right? He’s not just staring at this North Korean deal and saying, “Oh goodness, there was this Iran agreement between President Obama and the Iranians, and I’m going to rely on the fact that the Americans stayed in that to have confidence that the Americans will do the right thing if I give up my nuclear weapons.” He’s going to look for aligning our interests, right, setting up – what we talked about is concrete, irreversible actions, assurances, that provided him with assurance that if we are able to be successful in changing this it will be lasting. So I don’t think Kim Jong-un is staring at the Iran deal and saying, “Oh goodness, if they get out of that deal, I won’t talk to the Americans anymore.” There are higher priorities that he is more concerned about than whether or not the Americans stay in the JCPOA.

QUESTION: What are you expecting on the missile issue? I mean, is it just more sanctions, is it intercepting shipments from Iran —

SECRETARY POMPEO: I don’t want to talk about the status of negotiations. It’s a live issue and we’re making progress, and we’ve got to make sure everybody’s in the same place. So I’m going to save that until it’s complete.

QUESTION: Was there any discussion about the potential for a larger deal involving Syria and things with the Iran deal the way Macron had thrown forward?

SECRETARY POMPEO: You mean with respect to the JCPOA? So it’s certainly the case that what the President’s asked for in terms of a fix is a more comprehensive solution – that is, it won’t be just about the nuclear file. One of the core fixes is to make sure we’re addressing those other risks, that Iranian malign behavior and missiles. So if we’re successful in getting the fixes, it will certainly be broader than the JCPOA.

QUESTION: Would it involve actors like Russia or Turkey the way that Macron had thrown out?

SECRETARY POMPEO: I’m sorry, one more time?

QUESTION: Would it involve actors like Russia and Turkey? This is one of the things that had been discussed.

SECRETARY POMPEO: I don’t know. I don’t know. See how far we can get.

MS NAUERT: He’s got to go.

SECRETARY POMPEO: Thank you all.

MS NAUERT: Thanks, guys.

QUESTION: Thank you very much, Mr. Secretary.

SECRETARY POMPEO: Thank you.

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The United States continues to monitor closely the situation in Armenia. As a friend of Armenia, we urge all parties to engage in good faith negotiations on the formation of a new government in accordance with the Constitution, and to reach a resolution that reflects the interests of all Armenians. We support the ongoing efforts of the Office of President Sarkissian to facilitate dialogue between all parties. We continue to commend the peaceful nature of the demonstrations, and trust that the security forces and those exercising their right to peaceful protest will remain committed to non-violence in the days to come.

The Office of Website Management, Bureau of Public Affairs, manages this site as a portal for information from the U.S. State Department.
External links to other Internet sites should not be construed as an endorsement of the views or privacy policies contained therein.