According to Dipnote on Twitter, Secretary Clinton left for Russia about 4:30 p.m. EDT Have a safe and successful trip Madame Secretary. We will be praying for you and lighting candles, as always.
*UPDATE*
Secretary Clinton to Travel to Moscow
Philip J. Crowley
Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Public AffairsWashington, DC
March 15, 2010
On March 18-19 Secretary Clinton, accompanied by Senator Mitchell, will participate in a meeting of the Quartet with United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, and European Union High Representative Catherine Ashton, as well as Quartet Representative Tony Blair, to discuss efforts to promote Middle East peace.
The Secretary will also meet with senior Russian officials to discuss progress on a successor agreement to START, cooperation on nonproliferation, counterterrorism, regional security issues, and the work of the Bilateral Presidential Commission.
*UPDATE from the Press Briefing*
Mark C. Toner
Acting Deputy Department Spokesman
Daily Press BriefingWashington, DC
March 17, 2010
TRANSCRIPT:1:27 p.m. EDT
MR. TONER: Sorry to be a little late, guys. Welcome to the State Department. As a proud Irish American and equally proud alumnus of Notre Dame, I want to wish everyone a very happy St. Patrick’s Day. As we say around South Bend, go Irish.
As you know, the Secretary, prior to departure, was over at the White House where she participated in the President’s meeting with the Taoiseach this morning. Last night, she gave the keynote address at the National Gala of the American Ireland Fund, where she reaffirmed the historic bonds between the United States and Ireland. She also stressed the importance of solidifying Northern Ireland’s progress through economic development, an area that our envoy, Declan Kelly, is working hard on.
As you know, the Secretary will be refueling in Shannon later today en route to Moscow, which means she’ll be – actually be able to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in Ireland. Tomorrow, she’ll have a meeting and dinner with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. I imagine they’ll discuss the full-range of bilateral and multilateral issues that comprise the relationship, including cooperation on nonproliferation, progress on a successor agreement to START, counterterrorism, regional security issues, and of course, the work of the Bilateral Presidential Commission.
On Friday, she’ll meet with Russian President Medvedev, and of course, will participate in the Quartet meeting where discussions will focus on how best to work with Quartet partners to move proximity talks forward as well as our current diplomatic efforts focused on creating the necessary conditions for Israelis and Palestinians to resume negotiations. And she returns to the U.S. on Saturday.
You probably received a little while ago a media note announcing the United States and Pakistan Strategic Dialogue. This will take place on March 24th. The United States and Pakistan will hold their first Strategic Dialogue at the ministerial level in Washington, D.C. and it will be hosted by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton as well as Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mehmood Qureshi, who will – they’ll co-chair the talks. Topics will include economic development, water and energy, education, communications, and public diplomacy, agriculture and security.
