As we know, Mme. Secretary always makes a point of thanking embassy
staff and families for their hard work before she departs a country.
Here are her words at her meet-and-greet at Embassy Algiers today. The
photo was taken in Tunisia, but I think it captures her sentiments here.
Meeting With Embassy Staff and Their Families
Remarks
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State
U.S. Embassy
Algiers, Algeria
February 25, 2012
Well,
thank you, and it gives me great pleasure to be here with this Embassy
community on my very first trip to Algeria to thank each and every one
of you for the work you do, not only to support a trip like this, but
what you do every single day to support and promote the important
relationship between the United States and Algeria.
I want to
thank Ambassador Ensher and DCM Elizabeth Aubin. I think that the
Ambassador was here 12 years ago as the first U.S. official to travel
outside the Embassy after we restored full diplomatic relations. And
after working 10 years in Afghanistan and Iraq, he was very excited to
come back to Algeria and to see what has been happening and to make very
clear the commitment of the United States.
I want to thank every
one of our U.S. Government employees, not only from the State Department
or USAID, but from the entire United States Government. I want to thank
your families and those who support you in doing this work. I also want
to thank our locally employed staff, the Algerians who come to work on
behalf of the United States Embassy. You’re really the backbone and the
heart of this mission. We could not do it without you. And I know that
some of you have worked for the United States Government for a long
time, and we are especially grateful because you provide continuity to
ambassadors and others who are serving.
I want to thank you also
for the work you are doing to reach out to the Algerian people,
particularly young people. I appreciate your efforts to work with
hundreds of Algerian Ph.D. students to improve skills in doing research
and teaching English, helping entrepreneurs get the skills and the
connections they need. We just had a visit with the Algerian NAPEO
group. We’re very strongly supporting entrepreneurship, the private
sector, because we think that’s the kind of partnership that really
represents the full range of American values and interests. I think the –
from what I hear, the newly opened Information Resource Center has been
a big hit, introducing a great many Algerians to job opportunities here
in Algeria, study opportunities in the United States. This is not just a
U.S. Embassy in Algeria; it is also a U.S. Embassy for Algeria.
I
heard that you had a blizzard here two weeks ago. (Laughter.) I have to
say – I mean, I grew up in Chicago, I live in New York – I never knew
you had blizzards in Algeria. But it sounds very familiar to what
happens in Washington with the shutdown of stores and banks and even the
government, but you stayed open throughout the week, and I’m very
grateful that you not only dug yourself out but worked to help Algeria
dig out as well.
So for me, this is a great opportunity to meet
officials in the government, representatives of the private sector,
civil society. But I have to say I came here first to thank all of you,
because without you, everything we hope to do to deepen and strengthen
this very critical relationship would obviously not be possible. So
thank you for the extra work you put in to support my trip, and I hope
that you will continue to do whatever you can to make sure that the
American people and the Algerian people have stronger connections and
understanding for years to come.
Thank you very much. (Applause.)
