Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting Welcome Reception

SECRETARY RUBIO:  Thank you.  Thank you.  Good evening.  Well, those lights are bright.  Now I can see you.  Anyway.  But good evening, and thank you all for coming, and welcome to Atlanta.  This is what I think has been a very productive start to what I hope will be a very productive ministerial.  

Our job is obviously, as I said earlier today, to create the platform in the – upon which our leaders will be able to meet in a few weeks in Doral and really have a successful G20.  Together, I think that we are mapping a vibrant, dynamic, and bold economic future, one that will pioneer new horizons for the entire world.

So I wanted to take a moment to thank the city of Atlanta for being our host in this spectacular place that I’ve never been to before but is one of the treasures in our country.  The history of Atlanta is a testament to what human ingenuity can achieve.  It was less than 200 years ago, this city – what we know today as Atlanta – was little more than a railroad junction, a wooden stake driven into the clay marking the end of the line.  Its original name was actually Terminus.  That was the name of it, the place where the railway ended, literally stopped.  Within a few decades, of course, it became a thriving center of commerce.  And when the Civil War left the city devastated – it was one of the places that was almost burned down – its people rebuilt it.  And in the generations that followed, they transformed a modest railroad town into one of the great commercial powerhouses in the United States.

Here in Georgia and across the whole of the American South, we see a vision of our economic future taking shape.  It’s alive.  It’s expanding.  It’s on the move.  It’s bursting with limitless possibility.  We see revolutionary inventions and innovations.  Many of the fastest-growing cities in our nation, in the United States, are here in the South.  We see new factories.  We see new businesses.  We see new jobs, both white-collar jobs and blue-collar jobs alike.  We see world-class universities teeming with brilliant, creative students who are preparing, literally as we speak, to lead their country’s future into new frontiers.

The explosion of dynamism, prosperity, and creative energy taking place here is not an accident.  It is the direct result of a series of policy decisions rendered by the leaders of these states.  These were deliberate decisions aimed at giving their businesses, their entrepreneurs, their citizens the opportunities to build, to innovate, and to grow; to provide the economic foundations, the infrastructure, and the regulatory environment needed to unleash the potential of their people.

The economy of the future that Americans are building here in Atlanta and throughout the South – and all across our country, really – can belong to our economic partners and allies and friends as well: a future of economic prosperity and growth that is backed by secure, affordable energy and regulations that encourage innovation and growth in the industries of tomorrow.

Since day one of his term, President Trump has prioritized realizing this vision.  It is in the economic and national security interests of the United States that we are energy dominant, that we have robust supply chains, that we remove the regulatory hurdles that hamper growth, and that we lead in the advancement of super intelligence and other critical emerging technologies.  By the way, I say that’s in our national interest, but I would also argue it’s probably in the national interest of every country represented at this gathering that you also have energy and technology and advancements and innovation and so forth.

It’s also President Trump’s mission and many of your leaders’ missions to see that this group focuses on core economic policy issues.  We want to implement practical solutions, solutions that deliver real, positive results – from our perspective for the American people, from your perspective for the people of your countries, and ultimately of the world. 

As the United States has been host of the G20 this year we’ve held gatherings across the country that have focused on many aspects of our advanced economies, and the topics that have been covered include trade, fiscal and monetary policy, emerging technology, and energy.  This week we maintain that sharp focus on our economic interests, building on our prior meetings, and setting the stage for our leaders and their summit in Doral in just a few weeks.

I’d also like to take a moment to note the inclusion of Poland as a full participant in this G20.  President Trump believes their economic success and growing global influence is exactly what the G20 needs to tackle the major economic challenges we all face, and we’re very excited to have them with us here today and this week.

The economic challenges facing our countries are complex and they are interconnected.  Because we all face these challenges, we must all work together to address them.  The future of our nations depend on our willingness to understand that while our interests may not always align, we should always seek to work together to advance them when and where they do align.  It is in our all of our interests that we commit to doing so.

My team and I want to work with you to ensure that the Leaders’ Summit is as successful as it possibly can be, and it’s my sincere hope that we can lay a solid foundation of aligned commitment and shared focus on policies that advance our common interests and help our nations prosper for generations to come.

So welcome to Atlanta, welcome to the United States.  Thank you.  It’s been very productive.  I look forward again to tomorrow and of course look forward to Doral in just a few weeks.  Thank you very much.  (Applause.)

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