Your excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, friends.
Thank you for joining me to celebrate the United States of America’s Independence Day. Every year on this day – the fourth of July – families in the United States and around the world gather to celebrate the Declaration of Independence and the United States of America’s birthday.
Despite the challenging times we live in, I believe that on America’s birthday we have much to celebrate. First, is our beautiful new Embassy inspired by Makonde sculpture, outfitted with wood from Beira, and graced with pieces from Mozambican and American artists. This Embassy is a tangible symbol of the strong bilateral relationship between our two countries as well as our great appreciation for Mozambique’s rich cultural heritage. We look forward to inaugurating it soon and sharing the space with you for years to come.
Today we also celebrate how our two countries have faced global challenges together. By responding swiftly to COVID-19 and implementing prudent prevention measures, Mozambique helped save lives. Decades of health cooperation between our two countries laid the foundation for this response. As we now seek to vaccinate the world to put a final end to the pandemic, the United States is proud to be the largest donor in the global effort to provide access to quality vaccines. We donated 80 million vaccines of our own supply and purchased 500 million more to be shipped overseas, including to Africa.
Our joint response to COVID-19 is just one aspect of the multifaceted strategic partnership that the United States and Mozambique now enjoy. We are growing partners in business, with millions in public investment for private sector efforts to contribute to development in Mozambique. We are strategic partners in security, committing resources and training expertise to support the fight against terrorism, while addressing the socioeconomic aspects of the conflict and responding to pressing humanitarian needs. We are steadfast partners in health, continuing to work side-by-side to combat HIV, tuberculosis, malaria. And we are longstanding partners in development and education. Since we established diplomatic relations in 1975, generations of American and Mozambicans have worked together to improve the human condition together.
The United States stands firm with the government of Mozambique and the Mozambican people to create a brighter future. I am optimistic about that future, especially when we stand together.
Like Mozambique, which just celebrated its independence, we continue to strive to live up to the ideals we established at our founding so many years ago – a unified nation based on freedom and justice for all.
We recognize that the experiment that is democracy continues. And that in the face of challenges at home and abroad we shall continue to strive to build “a more perfect union.”
Thank you for joining us as we celebrate U.S. Independence Day. Estamos juntos.
