Vice President Joe Biden addresses the second Global Entrepreneurship Summit at the convention center in Istanbul, Turkey, December 3, 2011.
Earlier today in Istanbul, Vice President Biden addressed the second Global Entrepreneurship Summit, convened by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The Vice President is leading the U.S. delegation to the summit, which follows the 2010 Presidential Summit on Entrepreneurship hosted by President Obama in Washington, D.C.
This year’s summit comes at a critical moment in the Middle East and North Africa as millions have risked their lives for political freedom and economic opportunity.
"Democratic revolutions like the ones in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya — and the ones still unfolding in Syria and Yemen –are imbued, literally imbued with entrepreneurial spirit, a spirit that requires risk and initiative, steadfast determination, and a unifying idea," said Vice President Biden. "They aim to do more than merely change the government which is in power, but also to end practices like authoritarianism, corruption, the stifling of free expression — practices that make political and economic freedom impossible."
The Vice President also highlighted how entrepreneurs are a driving force for job creation and economic growth in the United States.
"Once, the wealth of a nation was primarily measured by the abundance of its natural resources, the expanse of its landmass, the size of its population and the power of its armies," the Vice President said. "Today, the true wealth of a nation is found in the creative minds of its people and their freedom and ability to bring those ideas to life — to develop not only new products, but the technologies that will create entirely new industries, entire new markets, entire new opportunities."
Fonte: White House