MS GANZER: Good morning. I'm Ann Ganzer, I'm the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of Arms Control and Nonproliferation, and I am delighted to welcome you to this signing of the U.S.-Bahrain Nuclear Cooperation Memorandum of Understanding, or NCMOU.
Developing civil nuclear energy at home and abroad is a major priority for the United States, as reflected in the four executive orders our President signed this past May. This NCMOU represents an important step towards deepening a robust civil nuclear partnership between the United States and Bahrain, and it builds on our countries' already successful collaboration through our Foundational Infrastructure for Responsible Use of Small Modular Reactor Technology, or FIRST program. This NCMOU will enhance our energy security, advance mutual prosperity through the expanded economic cooperation it will introduce, and advance mutual - promote the highest standards of nuclear safety, security, and nonproliferation.
I thank you all for joining us this morning, and I now would turn it over to Secretary Rubio for his remarks, followed by Foreign Minister al-Zayani. Thank you.
SECRETARY RUBIO: Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you for all the hard work that went into doing this. Thank you, Your Excellency, for being here today. This is an important signing. It serves as the first step towards a deeper civil nuclear cooperation - an example that the United States is prepared to be a partner with any nation on Earth that wants to pursue a civil nuclear program that clearly is not geared towards weaponization or threatening the security of their neighbors. And this is a - no one better to do it with than such a strong partner that we've been working with for so long. This only strengthens our relationship.
We're all aware of our partnerships already that are in place, whether it's a free trade agreement or the Fifth Fleet, obviously the Abraham Accords, the Comprehensive Security Integration and Prosperity Agreement - that, by the way, the United Kingdom has now also joined, and we're very excited about that. All of these things bring us closer together, and I think later today, along with our respective heads of state, we're going to have an opportunity to - our respective heads of government - we're going to have an opportunity to have a meeting and lunch over at the White House as well. So that'll be exciting.
And - so this is a - I would just say, to brag a little bit, I think U.S. private sector technology is the best in the world, and the best in the world at helping such close allies like Bahrain achieve the hopes that they have for their own future, be able to generate energy. Energy is key to everything. You can't - we talk about any industry or any business endeavor, you can't do it without energy. And this is an exciting new technology that we hope to be sharing with many of our partners. But what - this is among our closest in the world. And so we look forward to collaborating and building a civil nuclear capacity with you together, and through U.S. companies and through your companies, and we're excited about the opportunity to be here.
Welcome to Washington, and hopefully we'll be seeing each other many, many more times. Well, we'll see each other later today, and then —
FOREIGN MINISTER AL-ZAYANI: Yes, sir.
SECRETARY RUBIO: — we'll see each other many other times as well. So thank you so much, Your Excellency. Appreciate it.
FOREIGN MINISTER AL-ZAYANI: Thank you. Thank you, sir. If you would allow me.
Thank you, Secretary Rubio, for your warm welcome and for your kind remarks. I am pleased and honored to be part of the delegation accompanying His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince and Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Bahrain, as we return to Washington to further strengthen the already robust strategic partnership between our two nations.
The signing of this MOU on strategic civilian nuclear cooperation further advances this process, underscoring our shared commitment to the peaceful use of nuclear technology to benefit our countries and societies.
There is no doubt that cooperation on nuclear technology will be a vital contributor to our shared responsibility and prosperity in the years ahead. And we in Bahrain deeply value the chance to benefit from the U.S. world-leading technology and expertise in this field. Further, signing this MOU reinforces our two countries determination to prevent the proliferation of nuclear or other weapons of mass destruction as an essential element of regional security.
Under the leadership of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, and with the support and guidance of his royal highness the Crown Prince and prime minister, the Kingdom of Bahrain stands shoulder to shoulder with the United States in seeking stability in the Middle East, and I want to restate our strong appreciation and backing for President Donald Trump's tireless work to us achieving ceasefires, building confidence, and ultimately achieving a secure region in which all its peoples can live in peace and prosperity.
Secretary Rubio, today's MOU is a further step forward for our two countries, demonstrating once again close, effective cooperation and the values of it. I look forward to working with you - with you, sir, to implement the MOU's provisions and to ensuring that our countries and peoples can fully benefit from its potential and opportunities in the years ahead.
Thank you once again, Secretary Rubio. Thank you, sir.
MS GANZER: Mr. Secretary, Foreign Minister, I invite you to sign the NCMOU.
(The agreement was signed.)
(Applause.)
QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, any comments on the Israeli strikes on Syria today?
SECRETARY RUBIO: We're going to be working on that issue. As we speak, I just got off the phone with the relevant parties. We're very concerned about it and hopefully we'll have some updates later today for you. We're very concerned about it. We want it to stop.
MS GANZER: Thank you for joining —
SECRETARY RUBIO: I'm sorry. We want the fighting to stop because we had a ceasefire overnight, it broke down again. So we're talking to both sides, all the relevant sides on this and hopefully can bring it to a conclusion, but we're very concerned about it.
MS GANZER: Thank you for joining us today. This concludes our ceremony.
(Applause.)
