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U.S. Department of State

Diplomacy in Action

Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs


Outline map of EuropeThe Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs, headed by Assistant Secretary Philip H. Gordon, develops and implements U.S. foreign policy in Europe and Eurasia. The Bureau promotes U.S. interests in the region on issues such as international security, NATO, coordination with the European Union and other regional organizations, support for democracy, human rights, civil society, economic prosperity, counterterrorism, and nonproliferation.


U.S.-Europe Relationship
Secretary Kerry (Feb. 14): "The rebalancing that President Obama is engaged in does not and will not come at the expense of any relationship in Europe whatsoever. In fact, we want more engagement with Europe, and we think Europe can be more of a partner in those efforts, which is one of the reasons that President Obama is so firmly committed, as he said in the State of the Union message, to a trade and investment partnership initiative with Europe." Full Text»


The 49th Munich Security Conference

Vice President Biden (Feb. 3): "And it’s hard to imagine a single threat or a single opportunity that cannot be addressed more effectively if we do so together. Simply put, President Obama and I continue to believe that, Europe is the cornerstone of our engagement with the rest of the world and is the catalyst for our global cooperation. It’s that basic. Nothing has changed." Full Text» More»


The U.S.-Europe Relationship
Date: 05/20/2012 Description: The NATO leaders gather for a group picture upon their arrival for dinner at Soldier Field in Chicago, May 20, 2012. © AP ImageAssistant Secretary Gordon (Jan. 16): "Looking back at the busy and productive year we've had, I would say that the United States and Europe have never been more closely aligned, both in overall goals as well as tactics to achieve those goals. From the beginning of the Obama Administration we've made a deliberate and conscious effort to strengthen our ties with Europe and to work with our most important allies around the world on global issues." DipNote Blog»


Travel to Europe

Assistant Secretary Gordon traveled to the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and Ireland January 7-11, 2013. In The Hague, Assistant Secretary Gordon met with senior Dutch officials to discuss topics of regional and global concern and underscored support for Dutch security missions around the world. Assistant Secretary Gordon traveled to London on January 9, where he met with senior British government officials to discuss a range of bilateral and global issues.  At the start of the United Kingdom's G8 presidency, Assistant Secretary Gordon also met with senior officials to review our broad cooperation in that forum, as well as in the G20, North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), and the European Union (EU). On January 10 and 11 in Dublin, Assistant Secretary Gordon met with senior Irish government officials to discuss bilateral and global issues. He also met with EU Political Directors as part of regular consultations with the EU to discuss issues on the transatlantic and global agendas. Trip Page»


Travel to Georgia, Germany, Austria, and Belgium
Date: 11/16/2012 Description: Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs Philip H. Gordon speaks with journalists following his meeting with Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili in Tbilisi, Georgia; November 16, 2012. - State Dept ImageAssistant Secretary Gordon traveled to Georgia, Germany, Austria, and Belgium from November 14-21, 2012. In Tbilisi, Georgia, he met with senior Georgian officials and emphasized the United States' continued commitment to the U.S.-Georgia relationship, as demonstrated through our democratic and economic reform assistance, and steadfast support for Georgia's sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders. Assistant Secretary Gordon traveled to Berlin, Germany on November 18th. While in Berlin, he met with senior German government officials to discuss the range of bilateral and global issues. On November 19th, Assistant Secretary Gordon traveled to Vienna, Austria. He met with senior Austrian government officials to discuss the range of bilateral and global issues and to reaffirm U.S. support for Austria’s global peacekeeping operations and engagement in the Balkans. He also met with senior officials at the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe to discuss priorities for the upcoming OSCE Ministerial in Dublin. Assistant Secretary Gordon traveled to Brussels, Belgium on November 20th. He met with senior European Union officials as part of regular consultations with the EU to discuss the broad range of global issues on the transatlantic agenda. He also met with senior NATO officials in preparation for the December NATO Foreign Ministerial. Trip Page»


U.S. Policy Toward the Balkans
Assistant Secretary Gordon (Nov. 13): "The prospect of EU membership has provided a strong incentive for countries to reform their economies, to advance their democracies, and to make peace with their neighbors, and we in the United States have strongly supported that process in Central and Eastern Europe, where it’s been an enormous success, and we strongly support it in the Balkans." Full Text»


Travel to Paris, France and Geneva, Switzerland
In Paris, France, Assistant Secretary Gordon met with senior French government officials to discuss the full range of bilateral and global issues. Assistant Secretary Gordon traveled to Geneva, Switzerland on October 10 to represent the United States in the Twenty-First Session of the Geneva Discussions on Georgia to continue efforts to reduce tensions and address the needs of the people on the ground. He also met separately on the margins with both Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin and Georgian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergi Kapanadze to discuss regional as well as bilateral issues. Trip Page»


U.S. Foreign Policy in Europe

Assistant Secretary Gordon (Sept. 27): "We’re obviously here all week in New York for the General Assembly ... engaged in a very intensive week of diplomacy, but including transatlantic diplomacy and lots of engagement with our European and Eurasian counterparts, so I thought it would be useful to come by and share a bit of some of the things we’ve been talking about in that context and really more broadly talk about our engagements with Europe and Eurasia in recent weeks and months." Full Text»


67th UN General Assembly
Senior Administration Official (Sept. 25): "the Secretary, prior to the Transatlantic Dinner, had the opportunity to meet with a number of foreign ministers, including, in particular, several whom she hadn’t had formal bilats with who are new since certainly the last General Assembly, which includes the Greek Foreign Minister, Mr. Avramopoulos; the Belgian Foreign Minister, Didier Reynders; and the very new Norwegian Foreign Minister, Espen Barth Eide. And the Secretary also met with UK Foreign Secretary William Hague." Full Text»


Press Gaggle at the Center for European Policy Analysis
Assistant Secretary Gordon (Sept. 20): "In some ways, as I’ve made clear, the partnership for Europe is even more important to us because we face these great challenges in Asia and the Middle East -- that’s why we’re increasing our partnering with European countries." Full Text»


U.S. Relations With Central Europe
Date: 09/20/2012 Description: Assistant Secretary Gordon delivers remarks at the U.S.-Central Europe Strategy Forum. © Photo courtesy of Center for European Policy AnalysisAssistant Secretary Gordon (Sept. 20): "The United States is proud to have supported the aspirations and struggles of Central Europeans. Over the last two decades, we have assisted their transition from communist regimes to modern democracies – investing over $4.8 billion in assistance to ten countries across the region." Full Text»
 


Importance of 2012 Verkhovna Rada Elections to Ukraine's Future
Assistant Secretary Gordon (Sept. 19): "Free and fair elections are at the heart of the democratic process. We encourage Ukraine to seize the opportunity of the October parliamentary elections and to use them as a springboard toward becoming a modern, prosperous, democratic, European country." Full Text»


The Transatlantic Trends 2012
Assistant Secretary Gordon (Sept. 12): "It’s not just a coincidence but the result of our deliberate efforts to strengthen the partnership with Europe, to work with Europeans, and to make clear that we understand that to deal with the problems that we face in the world we need strong partners who share our values, have resources to bring to the table, who think like we do about international affairs and I think the GMF Transatlantic Trends numbers underscore that the Europeans fit that bill." Full Text»


Travel to Turkey and Romania
Assistant Secretary Gordon traveled to Istanbul, Turkey, for meetings with senior Turkish government officials and Syrian activists. On August 12, Assistant Secretary Gordon traveled to Bucharest, Romania, where he will met with senior government officials to discuss the concerns the United States has regarding recent government actions that threaten democratic checks and balances and weaken independent institutions. Assistant Secretary Gordon also met with members of civil society and the business community to discuss how their work plays a role in strengthening the democratic values and principles that unite the transatlantic community. Trip Page»


Travel to Greece and Turkey

Assistant Secretary Gordon traveled to Greece and Turkey July 25-31. In Athens, Assistant Secretary Gordon underscored U.S. support to senior government officials as they undertake important reforms to restore market confidence, fuel economic growth, and create a prosperous future for their people. He also discussed a broad range of foreign policy issues with political party leaders and members of the business and think tank communities. On July 29th, Assistant Secretary Gordon traveled to Istanbul where he met with senior Turkish Government officials to discuss the range of bilateral and global issues. Assistant Secretary Gordon paid a visit to the Halki Seminary and also attended a public municipal iftar dinner in the Uskudar district. Trip Page»


Travel to France, Croatia, Serbia, Kosovo, and Cyprus

Assistant Secretary Gordon traveled to France, Croatia, Serbia, Kosovo, and Cyprus July 6-14. In France, he participated in the third meeting of the Friends of the Syrian People as well as to meetings with French officials. In Croatia, he met with a wide range of regional leaders attending the Croatia Summit, at which he delivered remarks. In Serbia and Kosovo, he met with senior government officials. In Cyprus, he met with European Union Political Directors. Trip Page» Photos»


Keynote Address at the Brookings Institution
Date: 05/23/2012 Description: Assistant Secretary Gordon delivers keynote address at the Brookings Institution.   © Brookings Institution photoAssistant Secretary Gordon (May 23): "I would assert that the United States and Europe have never been more strategically aligned. This is not to say that there aren’t differences between us, just as there are debates within the United States or the European Union. But the reality is that we have developed a common transatlantic agenda that enables us to join forces to meet the demands of a very challenging world to a degree that I don’t think was paralleled, not just in recent times in the previous administration, but the one before that or the several that preceded that. And this unity of purpose, I think, is now recognized on both sides of the Atlantic." Full Text» Learn More»


2012 NATO Summit 
Date: 2012 Description: 2012 NATO Summit logo. - State Dept ImageThe United States hosted the NATO Summit May 20-21, in Chicago, Illinois. President Obama welcomed leaders from NATO member and partner nations to his hometown for the Summit of the world’s most successful Alliance. At the NATO Summit, leaders discussed the next major phase of transition in Afghanistan, agreed to further steps to ensure NATO has the capabilities necessary to meet the challenges of the 21st century, and further broadened and deepened its relationships with non-NATO partners. Learn More»


The NATO Summit in Chicago

Assistant Secretary Gordon (May 10): "This will be the first NATO Summit on American soil in 13 years and the first ever outside of Washington. In addition to the opportunity to showcase one of our nation’s great cities, our hosting of the Summit is a tangible symbol of the importance of NATO to the United States. It is also an opportunity to underscore to the American people the continued value of the Alliance to the security challenges we face today." Full Text»


The Chicago Summit and U.S. Policy
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Kaidanow (Apr. 26): "NATO is vital to U.S. security. More than ever, the Alliance is the mechanism through which the U.S. confronts diverse and difficult threats to our security together with like-minded states who share our fundamental values of democracy, human rights, and rule of law. Our experiences in the Cold War, in the Balkans, and now in Afghanistan prove that our core interests are better protected by working together than by seeking to respond to threats alone as individual nations." Full Text»


Travel to France and Belgium
Assistant Secretary Gordon traveled to Paris, France and Brussels, Belgium May 10-15, 2012. In Paris, the Assistant Secretary met with French officials to discuss President-elect Francois Hollande’s upcoming visit to the United States and preparations for the NATO Summit in Chicago on May 20-21. In Brussels, Assistant Secretary Gordon met with NATO and European Union officials to review the Chicago Summit and other issues on the transatlantic agenda, including Afghanistan and the Balkans. Trip Page»


Travel to Germany and Spain
Assistant Secretary Gordon traveled to Berlin, Germany and Madrid, Spain, May 2-8. In Berlin, he met with senior German government officials to discuss the range of issues on the bilateral agenda and preparations for the NATO Summit in Chicago, May 20-21. He also spoke at a transatlantic security event hosted by the German Marshall Fund and participated in the Daimler U.S.-European Forum on Global Issues. While in Madrid, Assistant Secretary Gordon met with senior Spanish government officials to discuss bilateral and global issues. He also made remarks at a conference on NATO sponsored by Instituto Elcano. Trip Page»


The U.S. and Europe: Meeting Global Challenges

Assistant Secretary Gordon (Mar. 1): "Three years into this administration I would assert that the United States and Europe have never been more aligned, both in overall strategic goals as well as the tactics that we use to achieve those goals. While the foreign policy challenges today are no less pressing -- indeed many exist alongside a host of new problems -- we have been able to approach them more effectively because we’ve been doing so together with our European allies.” Full Text»


Travel to Belgium and Russia
Date: 02/17/2012 Description: Assistant Secretary Gordon meets with students from the Center for European Security's Winter Academy at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow. - State Dept ImageAssistant Secretary Gordon traveled to Brussels, Belgium and Moscow, Russia, February 14-18, 2012. In Brussels, he met with NATO and EU officials to discuss a broad range of issues on our transatlantic agenda, and discussed preparations for the NATO Summit in Chicago, May 20-21. In Moscow, the Assistant Secretary met with senior Russian officials to discuss global issues and the bilateral agenda. He also held meetings with business and civil society leaders. Trip Page»


Travel to Germany, Bulgaria, and Ukraine
Date: 02/06/2012 Description: Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs Philip Gordon meets with U.S. Embassy in Ukraine employees in Kyiv.  - State Dept ImageOn February 3-5, 2012 Assistant Secretary Gordon traveled to Germany and Bulgaria, then continued on to Kyiv, Ukraine, February 6, to meet with senior Ukrainian officials and opposition leaders and continue our strategic dialogue on issues of mutual concern, including Ukraine’s integration into Euro-Atlantic institutions, cooperation on non-proliferation, energy security, economic reform, and advancement of democracy and human rights. The Assistant Secretary also met with civil society leaders.Trip Page»


For speaking and interview requests on European and Eurasian Affairs, please fax your request to the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs' Office of Press and Policy Outreach at 202-647-5116.


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