THE WHITE HOUSE: Remarks by President Obama and Prime Minister May of the United Kingdom After Bilateral Meeting at the G20 Summit
PRESIDENT OBAMA: Good morning, everybody. I want to begin by saying what a pleasure it was for me to meet with Prime Minister May and congratulate her on becoming Prime Minister. We’ve had occasion to be together before in other settings, but this is the first time that I had a chance to address her as Madam Prime Minister. I’m glad that Theresa and I could meet early in her tenure. The Prime Minister continues to be a steadying influence during a time of transition.
It was a wide-ranging conversation, but it began with the basic premise that even as the UK pursues an orderly exit from the EU, together, we reaffirm the very special relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom. It will not simply endure, but it will continue to grow stronger with time. The vibrant economic partnership between our countries will continue as the UK gains further clarity on its new relationship with the EU. Our two countries will be discussing ways in which we continue to sustain and strengthen our trade and investment ties. Here at the G20, we will continue to pursue an agenda of inclusive and sustainable growth.
When it comes to security issues, under Prime Minister May, the UK has reaffirmed its strong commitment to the transatlantic architecture. We are NATO Allies. We see the world in the same way. We will continue to oppose Russian aggression in Ukraine. We will continue to counter cyber threats. We will continue to work diligently to root out terrorist networks, and we'll work to destroy ISIL.
At a time when the international order is under strain, I also emphasized the degree to which United Kingdom’s leadership on the world stage is essential. We are grateful for the UK’s indispensable role in achieving landmark agreements on climate change, on issues of energy security and global development. We will continue to count on being able to stand together, stand strong with our British friends to make sure that international norms and rules are enforced and are maintained.
The bottom line is, is that we don’t have a stronger partner anywhere in the world than the United Kingdom. And despite the turbulence of political events over the last several months, we have every intention to making sure that that continues.
And so I look forward to our partnership. This is my last G20, Theresa’s first. But the continuity of the relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom, that stretches back many decades and it will continue for many decades to come.
PRIME MINISTER MAY: Thank you. Thank you very much. And I’m very pleased to be here at my first G20 Summit, and pleased to have had the opportunity to meet you, Barack. And, as you say, the United States is a special partner for the United Kingdom, a longstanding ally and a close friend. We share the same values of freedom, openness and tolerance. We share intelligence and technology. Our troops train, fight and recuperate together. And together, we do more together than any other two countries in the world. And I think that’s as true now as it has ever been.
And our discussions today have been wide-ranging. We focused on Brexit, on the threat from Daesh, the situation in Syria, and on the need to do more to solve the migration crisis. I’d just like to say a few words on each of those.
First, we have talked about Britain’s decision to leave the European Union -- the process now and what Brexit means for the UK’s relationships with our European friends, but with other countries, too. The UK has always been a strong partner for the U.S., and that will remain the case. We have a thriving economic relationship. British businesses export twice as much to the United States as they do to our next-largest market, and the United States is the largest inward investor in Britain, with total American investments providing more than one million jobs.
We need to build on that strong foundation as the UK leaves the EU. We’re both strong supporters of free trade, and today, we discussed how to take forward consultations to ensure that the UK and the U.S. have the strongest possible trading relationship. And this reinforces my belief that as we forge a new global role for the UK, we can and will seize the opportunities that Brexit presents, and make a success of it.
We’ve also discussed the threat from Islamist terrorism. The UK and the U.S. have been at the forefront of efforts to defeat Daesh in Iraq and Syria, and it’s vital that we take action to degrade Daesh abroad to help keep the streets of Britain safe. And the coalition is making progress -- Daesh is losing territory in Iraq and Syria. Its finances have been hit. Its leaders are being killed, and fighters are deserting. And in recent weeks, thanks the U.S. efforts, Daesh in Libya have been forced backwards too.
But we must not be complacent. We know these terrorists are intent on destroying our way of life, and the threat in the UK remains severe. So as we drive Daesh out of one area, we must be alert to the risk they will seek a safe haven’t elsewhere, and we must work internationally to defeat their ideology of hatred and murder. And we need to support other countries in the region, helping to protect them from the threat of Daesh, and thereby protecting people home in Britain, too.
We must also continue to strive for a political situation in Syria. The goal remains a negotiated settlement which delivers stability for all Syrians, and a government with whom we can work to defeat the terrorists. We welcome U.S. efforts to broker an end to the violence and to help protect moderate opposition forces. It’s vital that humanitarian supplies get to innocent Syrians who are in desperate need. And this afternoon, I will urge President Putin to do all he can to get the aid convoys in and to end the indiscriminate bombing of civilians. And next week, the Foreign Secretary plans to host the moderate Syrian opposition in London as we continue to support their hopes for a democratic, peaceful and inclusive Syria.
And finally, we discussed the global migration crisis. Across the world, there are now over 244 million migrants, 65 million displaced people, and over 20 million refugees. This growing crisis cannot be solved by the actions of one country alone. We need an international approach, which better identifies those refugees who most need support, deals more effectively with economic migrants, and does more to address the root causes of migration.
This issue will be top of the agenda at the U.N. General Assembly later this month, and I hope we can make concrete progress to stem the flow of migration and help people in their home countries and regions.
So we’ve had a productive meeting. It’s been an opportunity to discuss how we respond to some of the great challenges we face. And I look forward to continuing our discussions at the summit, particularly on the global economy. We understand that many of our citizens are frustrated by the pace of globalization and feel they’re not experiencing the benefits of international trade. We both believe this is an issue that we as G20 leaders cannot afford to ignore. Instead, we must all work together to spur economic growth, to boost free trade and build a fairer economy that truly works for all.---read more of their question and answers segment from the White House link provided above.
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