[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1994, Book II)]
[September 28, 1994]
[Pages 1649-1650]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks at a Reception for Business Leaders
September 28, 1994

    Ladies and gentlemen, after about 2 days of solid meetings, 
President Yeltsin and I are talked out. [Laughter] But we're delighted 
to see you.
    We just came from our joint press conference where President Yeltsin 
listed about 40 things, or maybe 50, that we discussed. I never thought 
I would see anyone exhaust the American press corps, but he did it. 
[Laughter] So then I got up to answer the first question, and I said, 
before any questions, I want you to know our positions on items 13, 27, 
and 32. [Laughter]
    Ladies and gentlemen, when I became President, I was absolutely 
convinced our country had to redefine the role of its National 
Government as we move toward the 21st century and that one of the things 
we had to do is to move away from the extreme views of Government as a 
savior for all the problems of society on the one hand or Government as 
sort of sitting on the sidelines while history goes by on the other. It 
was obvious to me that we needed a new idea of partnerships between our 
National Government--partnerships with other countries, partnerships 
with the business community, partnerships with all ordinary Americans as 
they seek to fulfill their dreams and their abilities.
    This meeting represents two of those partnerships. I want to thank 
the Vice President for the work he has done with Prime Minister 
Chernomyrdin in cementing our partnership with Russia on an economic 
basis and on a scientific basis. And I want to thank Bob Strauss and all 
the rest of you who have been a part of our partnership between the 
American Government and the American business community reaching out for 
new opportunities all around the world.
    The depth and the durability of the relationship between the United 
States and Russia will affect the future of every person in our two 
countries and every person in the world over the next 10 years. We have 
to make it right. And one of the ways we can make it right is by a deep 
economic partnership rooted in trade and investment. We are committed to 
that. And

[[Page 1650]]

I know you are committed to that. And I can tell you that Boris Yeltsin 
is committed to that.
    Let me close by thanking some of the people who will turn our words 
into reality. Besides the Vice President, as he has already noted, the 
Secretary of Commerce, Ron Brown, the head of our Export-Import Bank, 
Ken Brody, Ruth Harkin, who runs OPIC for us. I thank all of them. And I 
also thank Ambassador Tom Pickering, who along with the Secretary of 
State and so many others in the State Department have totally changed 
the direction of our American diplomacy so that now the American State 
Department is known all over the world as being interested in doing 
business and helping Americans do business, instead of being uninvolved.
    I thank Secretary O'Leary and all the other Cabinet members who have 
been to Russia. And again, I close with pledging my full partnership to 
you and to my friend Boris Yeltsin. Together, we can make the future 
what it ought to be for all our people.
    Thank you.

Note: The President spoke at 4:50 p.m. in the Atrium at the Corcoran 
Gallery of Art. In his remarks, he referred to Robert Strauss, chairman, 
U.S.-Russian Business Council.