FOREIGN SECRETARY LAMMY: It’s very special to host you, Tony, here today and to open this new bilateral Strategic Dialogue together. In many ways it’s remarkable; this is a new format. We’ve been close partners for a very, very long time. A century ago, Foreign Secretary Ramsay MacDonald was committed to a consistent friendship and cooperation with the people of America, and that has endured and holds true today. But I believe that this format gives us an opportunity in a difficult, volatile, insecure world to remain strategically aligned on a whole range of issues. You know how personal to me the relationship is with the United States having studied in the United States, worked in the United States, lots of family across the United States. It’s a very special relationship, particularly for me. But I believe that this dialogue can identify ways for us to strengthen those connections, of course, even further, and I know that would be a benefit to both of our countries but frankly to much of the global community.
In my first week in office, I went to Washington, of course. We met for the NATO conference. We have been – I think we’ve spoken nearly every other week in that period, for which I am hugely grateful. But on Russian aggression particularly, the backing of the stalwart position of standing with Ukraine, tackling the Iranian malign activity, and of course, in our support and efforts to stabilize issues in the Middle East, this is hugely, hugely important. It’s also important for our partnership in the Indo-Pacific and our approach to China. And so I’m looking forward to the discussions that would embed this Strategic Dialogue going forward, and I’m very, very grateful, Tony, for you spending your time here today.
SECRETARY BLINKEN: Well, David, thank you so very much. Thank you for the incredibly warm hospitality. Thank you for hitting this job at a full sprint, because you’ve been going all out from day one. And given the multiplicity and complexity of challenges that we’re dealing with, I am personally and the United States more generally is grateful for that – you, the prime minister, the entire team.
And to your point, I think what makes the relationship genuinely special – and I would even say essential – is that we are working hand-in-hand on all of the issues that matter most to our people, that are having the biggest effect on their lives, as well as people around the world because of the impact that our two countries have well beyond our own borders, beyond our own shores.
For us, the UK is the indispensable partner when it comes to the very issues that David was talking about, whether it’s dealing with the Russian aggression against Ukraine, whether it’s dealing with the conflict in the Middle East, whether it’s dealing with the challenge posed by China, and so many transnational issues that have no respect for borders and that have a profound impact on the lives of people around the world.
So we couldn’t be more grateful for this partnership, for the energy that David and the prime minister have put into it. But I think the merit of what we’re doing with the Strategic Dialogue is to make sure, as always, that we are fully focused and fully aligned on the north stars. And the day-in/day-out work that then follows is critical, but making sure that we are fully aligned strategically really is where it all starts, and so I am very enthusiastic about this process. We have our senior teams meeting together, working together. I’m here today, Deputy Secretary Campbell will be here tomorrow, and we will carry out the work of making sure that our strategies are aligned and then doing the work every single day. I can’t think of two governments, two countries where we have more daily, sometimes hourly, communication on everything that matters. But making sure that we have the strategic framework for that is vitally important, and I’m so glad we’re doing it. Thank you.
