MODERATOR: Good morning, everyone. Thank you so much for joining us. I just wanted to remind you that this call is on background, and we are going to preview the Secretary – Secretary Pompeo’s upcoming travel to Germany tomorrow.

For your reference, and not for reporting, the State Department official that is joining me today is [Senior State Department Official]. He will be referred to as Senior State Department Official One on this transcript. Again, just to reiterate, this call’s on background, and it is embargoed until the conclusion of the call. I’m going to turn it over to [Senior State Department Official], who will open, and we’ll have – with remarks, and then of course we will take your Q&A. Thank you.

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: Thank you, [Moderator], and good morning, everybody. I think it’s worth just kicking off to note that this trip has a real personal meaning for Secretary Pompeo. He has long wanted to return to Germany, where he served as a young Army officer. I think many of you, most of you, have heard him reference that in the context of so much of what we do, particularly with Europe. And obviously, for any of us who remember the reality of what it was like to live at a time when much of Europe suffered under the tyranny of communism pre-1989 and to remember the feelings and what happened then in November with the fall of the Berlin Wall, this trip really provides an opportunity to honor the sacrifices of the past and to celebrate the present freedom, stability, and prosperity that all the people of a united Germany have enjoyed since the fall of the wall, and to recommit to strengthen our bilateral and NATO ties while working to address global challenges – remembering, of course, that this is still the 70th anniversary year of the founding of NATO.

So just to get straight to the travel itself, the Secretary will travel to Germany from November 6th through 8th, and he’ll engage in a full program with the German Government and civil society with this opportunity to join the German people in commemorating the 30th anniversary of the fall of the wall – the Berlin Wall, that is – and the defeat of communism in Eastern and Central Europe. It seems like just about every day is an anniversary of one event or another related to this.

Of course, you have to keep in mind that this really represented the liberation of tens of millions of Europeans after decades of resistance to communist and totalitarian oppression. And a major theme of this trip is to honor the bravery of the German people who never lost their resolve to end the dividing line between east and west, to replace tyranny with freedom. And we’re very proud of the role the United States had not only in defending the west but in helping Germany to reunify.

So on the 7th of November, the Secretary is going to visit a series of sites in Grafenwohr, Vilseck, Modlareuth, and Leipzig, and he’ll commemorate the key events leading to the fall of the Berlin Wall in those places. In Grafenwohr and Vilseck, the Secretary is going to visit the Reed Museum at the 2nd Regiment of Dragoons Heritage Center. And then moving on to Modlareuth, he’ll be greeted by the German foreign minister, Foreign Minister Maas, and tour monuments that include a guard tower, a bunker, and a section of the wall that once divided East and West Germany right through the town.

The Secretary then will go on to Leipzig, where he will have a working meeting with Foreign Minister Maas and also tour the Leipzig Museum and the St. Nicholas – the St. Nicholas Church, where he will meet some of the East German dissidents who led the peaceful revolution that, of course, helped topple the East German regime and led to the fall of the wall.

The Secretary will finish the day on the 7th of November in Halle, where he will visit the Halle synagogue, which was the site of the deadly anti-Semitic attack on October 9th, Yom Kippur, of this year.

Now, while taking part in these events, Secretary Pompeo is going to honor the role the United States played, as I said, in supporting truly tens of millions of people in Eastern and Central Europe who refused to lose hope over cruel decades of oppression and remained determined to throw off the yoke of communism and chart their own democratic destiny in peace and freedom. And he’s going to retrace his own steps as a young second lieutenant, where he led an armored cavalry unit in the U.S. Army on the West German side of the Iron Curtain.

Now, on the 8th, the Secretary will be in Berlin, where he’ll meet with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, and Vice Chancellor and Finance Minister Olaf Scholz. Of course, keeping in mind, as I mentioned earlier, the anniversary of NATO, U.S. and Germany are founders of the NATO alliance, and we have deeply intertwined political, economic, and security interests all built on a shared commitment to democratic values. So this opportunity for bilateral meetings will be a forum for the Secretary and German leaders to reaffirm the strong U.S.-German relationship and discuss joint efforts to further the cause of freedom and, of course, counter the newer threats, the threats we face and emerging global threats, including from Iran, from Russia, and from China.

In Berlin, outside of the official meetings, the Secretary’s going to visit the Neue Synagogue and the Stasi Museum. And he will deliver a speech near the Brandenburg Gate that will highlight the United States’ continuing commitment to defend the fundamental rights of freedom and human dignity, and then depart, returning to Washington late the night of the 8th.

So we can stop there, and I’ll open it up for questions.

MODERATOR: Okay. Great. One second.

OPERATOR: Thank you. And ladies and gentlemen, if you do wish to ask a question, please press 1, 0 on your touchtone phone. Once again, ladies and gentlemen, if you do wish to ask a question please press 1 then 0 on your touchtone phone.

Our first question is going to come from the line of Matthew Lee from AP. Please, go ahead.

QUESTION: (Inaudible) for doing this. Are you hearing me?

OPERATOR: Yes. Please go ahead, Matthew.

QUESTION: Yeah. Good. Can I just say – one very brief logistical question: Why is the Secretary not staying for the actual anniversary? And then secondly, I’m sure you’re aware of the Danes’ decision on Nord Stream 2 and how the Germans have played this as a big victory over your, meaning the U.S., strong opposition to the pipeline being finished. I’m wondering how much of an element that’s going to be in the Secretary’s meetings. Thank you.

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: On the travel dates and itinerary, I just can’t speak to the Secretary – that’s his schedule. He needs to get back to Washington. He’s got a full and robust program, both, as we said, kind of in the field and along the former German-German border, where he served when he was in the Army, and then of course in Leipzig and then in Berlin for all of these meetings.

On your second question regarding Nord Stream 2, I mean, I think you’re very aware, Matt, of our policy on this. This is really about energy security for our European partners and allies. It’s been a longstanding strategic priority for the United States and we hope for our allies as well. Our view has always been that Nord Stream 2 jeopardizes that priority by making European countries and our allies more reliant on single sources, single country sources of energy.

When it comes to the specifics, recent developments – we’ve appreciated Denmark’s review of the transit permit application and understand that their decision on that was a result of an apolitical administrative process. As to whether this comes up in our discussions with the Germans, I couldn’t predict necessarily. There are lots of things to focus on. I think our views are quite clear.

OPERATOR: Thank you. Our next question then will come from the line of Nike Ching from Voice of America. Please, go ahead.

QUESTION: Thank you very much. My question – first question is following up – follow up on AP question. Could you please address the diplomatic options on the table to mitigate what the U.S. perceives as negative impact after the last legal hurdle of Nord Stream 2 was lifted? That’s number one. Number two, Huawei – as China rolled out its 5G networks last Thursday, how much will Huawei weigh in Secretary Pompeo’s discussion with the leaders in Germany? And could you please address the U.S. options to mitigate what Washington sees as security risks as Germany’s allowing Huawei to take part in the 5G build out? Thank you very much.

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: I’m not sure I caught the entirety of your question. It was sort of mix there of Nord Stream and Huawei. I think in answer to Matt’s question, I reiterated that our policy on Nord Stream is clear and that this is not a purely commercial project. It’s primarily a political tool. Our concerns have been regularly expressed. We see this as a tool through which Russia seeks to use energy to advance Russia’s geopolitical agenda.

But both that and with Huawei, I just don’t want to prejudge what will come up in the discussions. This is not a briefing about Huawei and 5G, and there’ll be a whole range of issues for us to discuss with German leadership in the meetings in Berlin, and we will try to give you readouts after that. As a broad matter, you’re very familiar that we’ve urged all countries, particularly partners and allies, to carefully assess long-term impact of allowing untrusted vendors to have access to important 5G network infrastructure. We’ve been focusing on that for ourselves and sharing those same concerns with our allies and partners around the world.

OPERATOR: Thank you. Then our next question’s going to come from the line of Carol Morello from The Washington Post. Please, go ahead.

QUESTION: Hi. Thanks for doing this. Forgive me, I couldn’t really quite make out your answer to the very first question Matt asked. Is the Secretary not going to be there on the 9th? Is it just a matter of scheduling or is there some definite reason that he is going to leave before the 9th? And also, as you said at the onset, this trip has a personal element for him since he was based there as a soldier. Is he actually going to visit the places where he patrolled or will there be anything super personal about this? Or is it just he’s going to be in the general area where he was stationed?

MODERATOR: There you go.

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: Oh, there we go. Thanks, Carol. Yeah, on the dates, this has been in the planning works for a long time, and he’s got a very robust and full two-day schedule. Indeed, he will be in places near Grafenwohr, Vilseck, the town of Modlareuth that I mentioned, exactly where he served as a lieutenant, and actually, I believe, as a captain in the U.S. Army right up until the months prior to the fall of the wall, actually, in 1989. So there’s very much a personal element to this, the opportunity to go back to these places. And I think for all of us who recall those events, particularly in the spring, summer, and fall of 1989, people really resonate, and the Secretary’s personal involvement and engagement along that border and just thinking about what has happened in the 30 years since and what it has meant to the longstanding U.S. policy of a Europe whole, free, and at peace, is pretty powerful and important.

On the – let’s see, now I’m – got to remember what else you were asking about. Let me – if – if you want to – I don’t know if you can get back on and remind me of what the other part of your question – nope, they’re telling me no you can’t get back on.

STAFF: Why not there on the 9th?

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: Oh. Oh, why not there on the 9th? So again – that’s right, sorry. The schedule has been worked out as such that he can stay through the 8th and a late departure back to Washington. There’s a full program of events, including all of the leadership meetings. On the 9th itself, he’s leaving behind the embassy team, obviously the ambassador and the assistant secretary of state – acting assistant secretary of state for Europe will also be staying behind for a couple of other events on the 9th, which that acting assistant secretary recalls well because he happened to live in Berlin on the 9th of November, 1989.

OPERATOR: Thank you. We have a question from the line of Shaun Tandon from AFP. Please, go ahead.

QUESTION: Yeah, hi. Thanks for doing the call. I wanted to ask you about Ukraine, but in the context of Germany. Germany, of course, is part of the Normandy Format with France, Russia, and Ukraine, seeking the solution there on Ukraine. To what extent do you think the Ukraine situation will come up with – in talks with Chancellor Merkel? What are you looking for from the Germans in terms of trying to find a way to resolve the conflict there?

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: I think we talk about Ukraine regularly with our German counterparts. Obviously, we’ll continue to reaffirm our unwavering support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and our support for any new momentum for peace in eastern Ukraine. Obviously the Ukrainian authorities have been – under President Zelensky – have been taking recent steps. Germany, of course, has been interested in that as well, the Normandy Format, and we’ll continue our commitment to work with allies and partners to keep pressure on Russia to live up to their commitments under the Minsk agreements, and the goal, of course, is we want to see the restoring of Ukraine’s full sovereignty, and I would imagine that may be one subject that comes up in the talks since there have been some steps in recent weeks, particularly on the part of President Zelensky to take some prudent, difficult, and as we’ve seen, at times unpopular steps, but with the big picture of working towards peace and economic stability.

OPERATOR: Thank you. We have a question from the line of Rich Edson from Fox News. Please, go ahead.

QUESTION: Good morning. I’m just wondering if the Secretary plans on meeting with troops in Leipzig. I’m not sure if you mentioned that. And also, will there be any discussion of or coordination on U.S.-E3 Iran policy? Thank you.

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: I’m not sure that that would be exactly in Leipzig, but certainly, the Secretary will have an opportunity to meet with U.S. troops stationed in Grafenwohr-Vilseck, which is not that far from Leipzig. But Leipzig itself is more of a focus on the museum there, the church, the museum of the city history of Leipzig and the historic church there, the Nikolaikirche, as it’s known, which played important roles in the historic events back in 1989, the demonstrations that ultimately led to the overthrow of the GDR regime.

So he will have a chance, though, to meet with troops, American troops obviously, German military representatives as well, and it should be a great opportunity to look back, as I indicated earlier, at what happened 30 years ago, what – a reminder of what the situation was like, what we had supported in terms of defending that border, which was exactly where the Iron Curtain was across Europe, and what all we’ve accomplished in the 30 years since.

On the E3 issue, I think that the Secretary spoke about this last night in an interview. I’d just refer you to that, and I think one of the things we’ve highlighted is that the Europeans have been able to see that the Iranians are moving in the wrong direction in terms of what they’re doing with fissile material and uranium enrichment, and our view has remained that this is a regime intent on using nuclear material to blackmail and try and extort money from Europe or from the West more broadly, and they’re concerned about it. So again, I would imagine it’s a subject that will come up in our discussions as we focus on the threats we overcame through the end of the Cold War to the threats that we face now and in the future, and that includes Iran.

OPERATOR: Thank you. Our next question then will come from the line of Nick Wadhams from Bloomberg News. Please, go ahead.

QUESTION: Hi, thanks very much. [Senior State Department Official], could you talk about the degree to which concerns over Germany’s spending on defense will come up? They still haven’t – aren’t close to meeting the 2 percent pledge, and obviously there’s concern about the fact that they don’t appear to have a credible plan for how to get there. Given the meetings he’s going to be doing with military leaders, what level of priority is this issue going to be and does it have the chance to sort of spoil the tenor of the conversations there? Thanks.

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: Thanks, Nick. It’s a subject in terms of burden sharing and meeting the commitments taken by all allies – the Wales commitments – that comes up regularly. It’s part of our almost daily discourse with our German allies and partners. The U.S.-German relationship is in many ways the bedrock of the transatlantic relationship, and of course of the NATO alliance, built on shared values – freedom, democracy, human rights, rule of law. These are the kinds of things we’ll be celebrating as we engage and commemorate this 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, and that’s at least the focus of this trip. This issue of burden sharing comes up regularly. The Germans know the position. They themselves have talked about their need to meet these commitments. Obviously, we’ll have an opportunity to hear any new aspects that they may want to share as we look ahead toward the NATO foreign ministerial, which is later in November, and then to the NATO leaders meeting in London early in December, which, again, commemorates – or celebrates the 70th anniversary of our very successful alliance.

OPERATOR: Thank you. And then our last question is going to come from the line of Christiane Jacke from DPA, German news agency. Please, go ahead.

QUESTION: Yeah, hello. Thanks a lot for doing this call. I have two questions. One is a follow-up on a question from a colleague from The Washington Post. I didn’t quite get details about where Secretary exactly was based back in the day, so was he actually in Grafenwohr or Vilseck, and could you also say for how long he was based in Germany in the past?

And the other question is: Will the Secretary talk about the proposal of the German Defense Minister Kramp-Karrenbauer, as well, which is to create an internationally controlled security zone in northern Syria? Thanks a lot.

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: We can certainly get you more details specifically on where the Secretary served. I know he spent time at Grafenwohr, as did anybody who served there at that time. So we’ll be at the base at Grafenwohr. And I know that he also was in Vilseck and Modlareuth. In fact, I’ve talked to him about memories of Modlareuth, the town that itself was literally divided by the Iron Curtain. But we’ll get you some more details of that, if you’d like, about his time, and I’m sure it’s something he’ll address and discuss as he visits or revisits many of these sites accompanied by some of the current U.S. troops who are there, some of the 30,000-plus troops stationed in Germany.

In terms of discussions, we do have a meeting scheduled, I think I mentioned, with the German defense minister. It’s an opportunity to bring up any subjects. I wouldn’t want to prejudge exactly what will come up or where we are on any of those particular things, but once we’ve had the meetings, we can try to get you readouts of those.

But there’s a lot to focus on broadly, because we do share so much with Germany. This is a chance to focus on the shared history, what is really modern and recent history, and what we’ve accomplished. I mentioned already the 30,000-plus troops and then their families stationed in Germany. I think it’s more like 35,000, actually. And if you just look at other statistics like the 20,000 German and American students who go back and forth on exchanges each year, our trade and investment relationship, what that means for the economies of both our countries and our diplomatic relationship.

We’ll be in Leipzig. That’s the location of one of our five consulates in Germany. There’s a chance to focus on all of the policy priorities that we deal with day to day in the U.S.-German relationship. And that, of course, includes German defense spending and military capabilities, as well as dealing with contemporary – modern and new threats that face all of us.

MODERATOR: Okay. Sorry, guys. We’ve had a little bit of technical glitches today with the new system, but thank you so much to everybody for dialing in, and we’ll see many of you in Germany tomorrow. Thanks.