President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton hosted Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda of Japan in Washington, D.C. on April 30, 2012. During a joint press conference at the White House, President Obama said, "It is a great pleasure to welcome Prime Minister Noda of Japan, one of America's closest allies in the Asia Pacific region but also around the world. And, of course, one of the reasons that we enjoy such a strong alliance between our nations is because it's rooted in the deep friendship between our peoples."
President Obama continued, "...We recognize that the U.S.-Japan alliance will remain the foundation of the security and prosperity of our two nations but… more »
On April 11-12, 2012, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton hosted her G-8 counterparts for the G-8 Foreign Ministers Meeting at the Blair House in Washington, D.C. During the opening plenary on April 11, Secretary Clinton said:
"I greatly appreciate this opportunity to discuss in person the many global issues that require joint leadership from the G-8 nations. The events of this past year, even of just this past week, affirm the continued need for comprehensive international cooperation, and the G-8 is an essential forum for that."
President Barack Obama is in the Republic of Korea to participate in the second Nuclear Security Summit. More than 50 world leaders are attending the summit to address one of the most urgent challenges of global security -- securing the world's nuclear weapons and preventing nuclear terrorism.
Scheduled to speak at Hankuk University in Seoul, President Obama will deliver remarks on continued efforts to stop the spread of nuclear weapons. You can watch the President's remarks live on www.whitehouse.gov/live at 9:30 p.m. (EDT)… more »
Today, Department Spokesperson Victoria Nuland issued a press statement on bilateral talks between the United States and North Korea. The text of her statement follows:
A U.S. delegation has just returned from Beijing following a third exploratory round of U.S.-DPRK bilateral talks. To improve the atmosphere for dialogue and demonstrate its commitment to denuclearization, the DPRK has agreed to implement a moratorium on long-range missile launches, nuclear tests and nuclear activities at Yongbyon, including uranium enrichment activities. The DPRK has also agreed to the return of IAEA inspectors to verify and monitor the moratorium on uranium… more »
2011 was a momentous year for the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs (EAP) as the culmination of much hard work that reflects the vision articulated by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton in an editorial for the November 2011 issue of Foreign Policy. This strategy guided the Bureau's activities from reinvigorating already strong relations with treaty partners, building new partnerships with emerging powers in the region, such as China, engaging with multilateral institutions, expanding trade and investment, forging a broad based military presence, and advancing democracy, human rights and the rule of law.
Our long-standing treaty allies continue to serve as the bedrock… more »
May 23: The State Department, through its office of the U.S.-Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI), is pleased to announce $1.5 million in funding to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) to support open governance and political participation in the Middle East and North Africa. more »
May 23: Today, Russia was invited to join the Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) at a ceremony hosted by its parent body, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in Paris. ã more »
![Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton laughs as Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda jokes while speaking during a dinner at the National Geographic Society in Washington, April 30, 2012. [AP Photo]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2012_0430_clinton_noda_japan_m.jpg)
![Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton addresses the G8 foreign ministers at the start of a working session at Blair House in Washington, April 11, 2012. [AP Photo]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2012_0412_g8_ministerial_m.jpg)
![President Barack Obama deliver remarks at Hankuk University in Seoul, South Korea, March 26, 2012. [AP Photo]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2012_0326_obama_hankuk_m.jpg)
![U.S. President Barack Obama and South Korean President Lee Myung-bak hold a news conference at the Blue House, the official presidential house, in Seoul, South Korea, March 25, 2012. [AP Photo]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2012_0325_obama_rok_m.jpg)
![U.S. Special Representative for North Korean Affairs Glyn Davies speaks to journalists at a hotel after returning from talks with North Korean counterpart in Beijing Feb. 23, 2012. [AP Photo]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2012_0229_north_korea_us_talks_m.jpg)
