00:07Why are you guys hiding under the wing?
00:10So this is an important trip, obviously.
00:12We're going to go visit three countries strongly aligned with the United States.
00:15We have a lot of common interests with them, both taking on regional transnational criminal terrorism and also economic engagements.
00:24We're hoping to wrap up good, solid trade deals with all three of these countries in the foreseeable future.
00:29And, of course, a lot of strong cultural links.
00:31So I think it's part of a trend that you're seeing in the Western Hemisphere of alignment with U.S.
00:35and U.S. interests.
00:36If you read our national security strategy, I'm sure all of you have read it very carefully, page by page.
00:41It outlines one of our priorities is strengthening our presence in the Western Hemisphere.
00:45And I think this trip and these meetings, as much as anything else, is continuing to further that goal as
00:50part of that strategy.
00:51Thank you, Rubio.
00:52Why not travel to Venezuela on this trip?
00:54As you mentioned, this is all about Western Hemisphere.
00:56Well, we'll get there eventually, as I said.
00:58But you can't go everywhere.
00:59This is a condensed week, obviously, with Labor Day yesterday and then 9-11 on Friday that we'll be commemorating
01:07the 25th anniversary.
01:08So we just simply couldn't add another.
01:11And these are countries we needed to get to that I hadn't gotten to yet.
01:13So in the case of Colombia, they just had a free and democratic election.
01:17They elected someone I know very well, very aligned with the U.S.
01:20And we have a longstanding relationship.
01:22In the case of Peru, after some political turmoil, they, too, have had a recent election.
01:27And President Fujimori is someone we look forward to engaging with.
01:30And then in Ecuador, obviously, their election was last year.
01:33But they face – they're one of our closest security partners in the region.
01:37And I think there's more we can do with them economics as well.
01:39Secretary Rubio, what would your message be to Latin Americans who might look at the Venezuela oil deal and think
01:44that the U.S.
01:45government's interested in extracting resources or just sending troops?
01:49What's your message?
01:49Well, what I would say to anyone who's concerned that the U.S. is doing something negative towards the Western
01:54Hemisphere as regards to energy is those oil fields were once dominated by China and Russia and Iran.
02:00By the way, Iran also had some concessions, and they're no longer there.
02:03So I think they're much better off partnering with the United States.
02:06They will benefit greatly from it.
02:07These fields were, in many cases, nonproductive.
02:09In essence, the Chinese and Russian companies held these fields but never turned them into anything.
02:15These fields are going to be productive, and they're going to generate royalties and revenues for the Venezuelan people, eventually
02:20through a democratically elected government, hopefully sooner rather than later, and directly benefit the people of Venezuela as opposed to
02:27going into the pocket of some corrupt government official or in the hands of American and Venezuelan adversaries, really.
02:35Mr. Secretary, do you have anything to say about that?
02:38Okay.
02:45Mr. Secretary, do you have anything to say about that?
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