QUESTION: Thank you.
QUESTION: May I follow up?
MR PRICE: — speak to any ongoing investigations, of course. I also couldn’t speak to any correspondence between the State Department and the FBI.
QUESTION: If I could switch gears to President Xi’s visit to Saudi Arabia this week, how does the U.S. view that trip and how concerned are you that China is seeking to expand its reach in the region beyond trade and into security?
MR PRICE: Well, my understanding is that, given the action of the congress, he is now former President Castillo. The virtue of democratic systems around the world is the fact that they are self-correcting, and we continue to watch these events very closely – they are fluid – but it seems that Peru’s congress has taken a corrective action by, it seems, impeaching Pedro Castillo. We’ll continue to watch developments closely as they unfold, and we will act in accordance with the wishes and the aspirations of the Peruvian people.
MR PRICE: So when we first declassified or released the information regarding Iran’s provision of lethal UAV technology to Russia, I believe the term we used was at least dozens. So I’m not in a position to go beyond that, but Russia – excuse me, Iran has indeed provided at least dozens and perhaps much more of these Iranian drones to Russia for use inside of Ukraine. The Ukrainians, using their own capabilities but also using the air defense capabilities that the United States and many of our partners have provided, have in fact been able to target and have been able to neutralize many of these UAVs, but, of course, these UAVs continue to be incredibly lethal, continue to be incredibly damaging not only to civilian populations but also to civilian infrastructure in a way that has implications for hundreds, thousands, or more innocent civilians in Ukraine who need that infrastructure for electricity, for heat, for water, for basic survival.
MR PRICE: It was —
MR PRICE: So for any communication – and your question was communication between the State Department —
QUESTION: On Nigeria, Reuters reported today that since at least 2013, the Nigerian military has conducted a secret, systematic, and illegal abortion program ending at least 10,000 pregnancies. The abortions were mostly carried out without the person’s consent. Do you have any reaction to this and will you be raising this with Nigerian authorities?
QUESTION: You talked about how you approach this with humility, and the idea that the United States also has to do its own. With that in mind, and bearing in mind that the new Congress is going to be coming into session in January – at least the leadership, the Republican leadership, has pledged a whole lot of investigations into alleged corruption within the U.S. Government, some of which is at least tangentially related to the State Department – are either of your offices preparing to answer some of the questions, allegations, charges that are being made? Or is this something that is being left entirely to DOJ?
I will turn it over to Todd, you’ll hear from Richard, and then they’ll take your questions, and then we will continue with our regularly scheduled program. So with that, Todd.
MR PRICE: Alex.
MR PRICE: So, again, I’m not in a position to go beyond what I told you and your colleague just a few minutes ago. Turkey’s desire for F-16s is something that we have discussed, including at the most senior levels, with our Turkish allies, but it’s also something that we’re discussing with the Hill. We want to make sure that any decisions, any moves that are made are consistent with our national security interests and are consistent with the shared security objectives that we also have in common with our Turkish allies. So not in a position to go beyond what we’ve said, but we continue to discuss it.
QUESTION: Sure. Completely different topic, unless somebody wants to follow up on Sudan. Peru.
Yesterday, National Security Advisor Sullivan opened the International Anti-Corruption Conference here in D.C., which the department is co-hosting with Transparency International. The IACC is the leading global anti-corruption gathering, with almost 2,000 in-person attendees from around the world, and thousands more virtually. Transparency International has proven to be a valued partner in our efforts to raise awareness and combat corruption. And I would invite you all to follow along on our social media accounts for more announcements and developments.
Last year, President Biden designated the fight against corruption as a core national security priority and released the first U.S. Strategy on Countering Corruption. A year later, we are showcasing efforts across the U.S. Government to implement the goals set out in the strategy and commitments made during the 2021 Summit for Democracy.
MR NEPHEW: Hello, and thank you so much, Todd, and thank you, Ned, for the opportunity to be here today as we recognize several important events in our global fight against corruption.
MR PRICE: Sure.
MR PRICE: Of course, we urge any disagreements between our NATO Allies to be worked out diplomatically between them. Greece is an important ally. Turkey is an important ally. We are continuing to work with all parties to de-escalate tensions in the region when it comes to Turkey, when it comes to Syria, and when it comes to other heightened tensions in the region.
QUESTION: Okay.
QUESTION: So I’m asking you are you gratified or relieved that the judge did accept your —
QUESTION: Yeah, are you going to allow the Turks to use the F-16 against your allies in Syria, the Kurds?
QUESTION: They don’t want, really, a good relationship with the United States or, in fact, any other Western country, that they just don’t care.
QUESTION: And Russia. So just to follow up on this concern about the relationship, CNN and The Washington Post, I believe, had reported a few weeks ago that there was an intelligence assessment that Iran and Russia reached an agreement to start a production line of attack drones in Russia with the blueprints and the components coming from Iran. So is there anything that you have to say on that specific aspect of the relationship potentially growing?
ASSISTANT SECRETARY ROBINSON: Thank you. Hello, everyone. Great to be here with you today and to briefly speak about our anti-corruption efforts, which is a huge theme this week and also in the long term for us. I am here today with Richard Nephew, our Coordinator on Global Anti-Corruption.
QUESTION: So —
QUESTION: It’s very important to know your opinion on this question.
QUESTION: So one last question. The former Pakistani ambassador to the United States, Dr. Asad Majeed Khan, has been appointed as a foreign secretary of Pakistan. He is considered the real reason behind the anti-American campaign launched by Imran Khan because Dr. Asad Majeed Khan, after his meeting with Donald Lu, wrote a letter to Imran Khan that United States is trying for regime change in Pakistan. So that kind of diplomat is now the foreign secretary of Pakistan. Is it a concern for you?
MR PRICE: When it comes —
MR PRICE: Sure.
Dylan.
MR PRICE: And for one final question, Daphne.
MR PRICE: As we —
QUESTION: And then just one quick follow-up on that. What’s your response to those who say that the history of corruption in Ukraine should raise alarm bells about providing them with too much support?
MR PRICE: Turkey, of course, is an important NATO Ally. Turkey, of course, faces a formidable threat, a more severe threat than any other NATO Ally in the sense that Turkey has suffered more terrorist attacks on its soil than any other NATO Ally. So, of course, we are – we seek to ensure that Turkey has the defensive capabilities that it needs – what it needs to continue to serve as its role as an important NATO Ally. These are conversations that we have with our Turkish Allies, but these are also conversations that we have with Congress. And I think I’ll leave it there.
MR PRICE: Even if it is motivation that consists of nothing more than self-interest – and it may well be on the part of some actors within the Taliban – they will need those relationships in order to continue, if they want to continue in the position they are in. It is our message consistently to them that the relationship that they’ve made very clear that they wish to have with the United States, countries that we consider allies and partners – if they wish to have any semblance of improved relations – relationship with us, it will depend entirely on their conduct. It will depend entirely on what they do when it comes to those areas that are in our national interest. Human rights is a core interest of ours; the rights of women and girls, it’s a core interest of ours. Safe passage, counterterrorism, the Taliban’s ability or willingness to form of government that is representative of their people – we are looking to all of these things and will continue to do that as we chart our own potential engagement.
MR PRICE: Matt.
MR PRICE: Matt.
QUESTION: Sir, the current situation Afghanistan is a security threat in the whole region, especially to Pakistan. We have seen some security cooperation with United States and Pakistan, but that cooperation was suspended during the Trump administration. Is there any update on that? What is the state of security cooperation that was suspended (inaudible)?
We certainly welcome the announcement from Japan regarding its plans for defense spending. We work closely with Japan across the broad array of areas, and security is certainly one of them, and the security challenges that we face and the fact that those security challenges have become more acute as a result of the DPRK’s provocation and the danger and destabilizing influence it has on the region – our security cooperation has in turn deepened as well as we seek to protect, in a defensive way, our own interests, the interests of our allies as well.
QUESTION: Just on a related note, it’s been about two months since OPEC+ announced its supply cuts. President Biden vowed consequences. Is the administration currently considering any retaliatory actions?
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