Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the Board of Peace Charter Signing Ceremony

SECRETARY RUBIO: Thank you very much. It’s an honor to be here today. It’s an honor to serve as the Secretary of State during a historic presidency. And it’s a historic presidency because the President of the United States, Donald J. Trump, is someone who is not limited by what others say is possible or what others say is impossible. He’s not limited by some of the things that have happened in the past, and he’s willing to talk to or engage with anyone in the interest of peace, always putting the American people and our national security first but understanding that, in the world that we share with so many others, peace is paramount to all of us. We are here today because of President Trump’s vision. If we go back just a few months ago, people thought what was happening in Gaza was impossible to solve – 28 hostages that were dead, others that were still living, all these hostages that were being held – no one thought that that would ever come to a resolution without more fighting and more bloodshed along the way. In fact, frankly, many thought it was intractable. And sadly, many of the institutions that have served us well in many cases for the last 70 years were unable to do anything about it. But President Trump had the vision and the courage to dream the impossible, to believe that it was doable, and to pursue it with all of his heart. And he was in that capacity assisted by an extraordinary team, and I think both Jared and Steve deserve a tremendous amount of credit – Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff – for all the work they’ve put in. (Applause.) And all of our partners here today. And now we have this Board of Peace, who I believe possibilities are endless, obviously with a focus first and foremost on making sure that this peace deal in Gaza becomes enduring. And I know this President has this as his highest priority and will give it everything he has to make sure this is successful. I also want to acknowledge the extraordinary leaders that are here today. This is not just a Board of Peace. This is a board of action, just like President Trump is a president of action. A lot of times people like to give speeches. I’ve been to many of these forums, and they’re not useless and they’re not – not – they have utility in many cases. But oftentimes in international affairs, we often find ourselves at events where people are reading these scripted statements, these strongly worded letters that they put out, but no action, nothing happens. This is a group of leaders that are about action, and the President of the United States is a president of action, of getting things done. And today is the beginning of that, of a new era and a new stage that we think is so important as a model to the rest of the world of what is possible. And clearly the focus is right now on Gaza, on making sure that the plan that’s about to be presented to you here today – this vision for the future of Gaza, this vision for the future of the region – is not just possible and promising, it is our destiny if we put the time and the effort that it requires, as I know this board will do. But I also think it will serve as an example of what’s possible in other parts of the world. Without losing focus on what’s before us now, this is what’s possible for other places and other conflicts that seem impossible to solve right now. So I want to – on behalf of the United States, on behalf of the team that worked so hard on this – thank every single one of the leaders that are here today and all of the countries that have committed to joining, and many others who are going to join. Others either are not in town today or they have to go through some procedure internally in their own – in their country because of constitutional limitations, but others will join. Many want to be a part of this effort because it is going to be a successful effort, and you see it reflected here today among countries of different backgrounds, from different parts of the world – majority-Christian some, majority-Muslim others – who’ve come together – in fact, former adversaries who have joined here as part of this Board of Peace. And all was possible – and I want to acknowledge this again – because of the vision and the drive of the President of the United States. So thank you all for joining us here today. We appreciate it very much. (Applause.)