ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE, April 4 (UPI) -- The world is "smaller and more interconnected than at any time in history" and so nations must work more closely together, U.S. President Barack Obama says.
In his weekly radio and Internet address, recorded aboard Air Force One as he was on this week's visit to Europe, Obama reminded listeners that in both economic and security matters, the fates of all countries are entwined as never before.
"In this new century, we live in a world that has grown smaller and more interconnected than at any time in history," he said. "Threats to our nation's security and economy can no longer be kept at bay by oceans or by borders drawn on maps."
Obama praised "a series of unprecedented steps that I believe will be a turning point in our pursuit of a global economic recovery" reached during the Group of 20 economic summit, and said that his meetings with Chinese President Hu Jintao and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev also produced tangible benefits, such as "a declaration putting America and Russia on the path to a new treaty to further reduce our nuclear arsenals."
Obama also noted that he asked NATO allies for more help in Afghanstan.
