nations that do not uphold these rights sow the bitter seeds of violence and extremists. freedom matters to our national security. [applause] as i said before, there are times when we work with governments that don't always meet our highest standard. but they are working with us on core interests such as the security of the american people. at the same time we deeply believe it's in our interests even with our partners, sometimes with our friend, to stand up for universal human rights. so promoting religious freedom is a key objective of u.s. foreign policy. and i'm proud that no nation on earth does more to stand up for the freedom of religion around the world than the united states of america.