SECRETARY BLINKEN: Well, good afternoon, everyone. And let me say what a pleasure
it is to have President Tshisekedi here. I was the recipient of his wonderful hospitality in the DRC
some months ago. But we have a strong partnership between the United States and the DRC. It’s why we
met in Kinshasa, why we’re meeting here. But I would be remiss if I didn’t start by saying and
sharing our condolences for those who lost their lives in the terrible floods that took place just
over the last 24 hours. And I know the foreign minister was telling me that it’s actually very
near his own hometown, and we very much regret the loss of life. It’s also further evidence of
the challenges that we’re all facing with climate and we – something that we’re working on together.
But we have a range of shared priorities that we’ll continue to discuss, including free
and fair elections next year, finding concrete solutions to sustainable development for the DRC;
protecting the Congo Basin, which we’ve had good conversations about;
and of course peace in eastern DRC, which we’re determined to support and help pursue. Earlier
today we also signed I think a significant memorandum of understanding with Zambia,
and I think this is a very powerful evidence of possibilities for the future and the
central role that DRC can play in actually finding for everyone a clean energy future.
So Mr. President, thank you for the time. Thank you for being
here today. It’s very good to have you in Washington.
PRESIDENT TSHISEKEDI: (Via interpreter)
Thank you, Mr. Secretary of State. I want to thank you for your invitation and I want to thank and
congratulate the United States and President Biden for this wonderful initiative which,
in my opinion, is going to bring together the United States and Africa. We need this in Africa.
We felt that the United States had remained far from African concerns for a long time, and now
we have an excellent example of good initiative on the part of President Biden, and we welcome
this especially since the U.S. position when it comes to security in the DRC really encouraged us.
Our country unfortunately is (inaudible) of a aggression which is hidden but it’s from Rwanda,
and this has been destabilizing this – a part of our country, the eastern part of DRC,
with all sorts of suffering for the populations who have been displaced
by hundreds of thousands, and they live in very precarious conditions. We want
to thank the – we count on the pressure and the support of the United States.
I note (inaudible) climate change and the struggle of the entire world against climate change.
And the Democratic Republic of the Congo is a solution country, but unfortunately we’re
not sufficiently supported. You’ve just give us your condolences for the tragedy in Kinshasa last
night. Thank you for your condolences. But this is the very example of what we have been regretting
for some time, this support from countries who pollute and which unfortunately leads
to negative consequences in our countries that cannot protect themselves from this.
I think we will talk also of the economic partnership of American investments, which
are lagging, but I know that the U.S. are at the forefront of the processing of strategic products,
strategic minerals, and the DRC has a lot of these minerals in the (inaudible). And so we
are ready to talk about this, talk about a win-win partnership with the possibility of transforming
these minerals in the DRC to create a value chain which will lead to the creation of the
– thousands and – of millions of jobs. And this would be for the good of the people of the DRC
and the United States, so we’re at a key time in the history of our two countries, and I could add
two continents because it’s the whole of Africa which is represented here. And I hope that we
will leave Washington with excellent resolutions. Thank you, Mr. Secretary, for welcoming us here.