Hillary Clinton With the Staff and Families of Embassy Bandar Seri Begawan
Ambassador Shields Welcomes Secretary Clinton to the U.S. Embassy
U.S.
Ambassador to Brunei Daniel Shields welcomes U.S. Secretary of State
Hillary Rodham Clinton to the U.S. Embassy in Bandar Seri Begawan,
Brunei, September 7, 2012. [State Department photo/ Public Domain]
Meeting With the Staff and Families of Embassy Bandar Seri Begawan
Remarks
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State
Embassy Bandar Seri Begawan
Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei
September 7, 2012
SECRETARY CLINTON: Good morning.
EMBASSY STAFF AND FAMILIES: Good morning.
SECRETARY CLINTON: Yay, good morning. (Applause.)
Ambassador.
AMBASSADOR SHIELDS:
Thank you. Ladies and gentlemen, colleagues, I’ll be very brief. It’s
my great honor to have the opportunity today to introduce to you the
very first U.S. Secretary of State ever to set foot in this building,
the wonderful Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton. (Applause.)
SECRETARY CLINTON:
Thank you, Ambassador. Thank you all so much. Well, Ambassador Shields,
thank you for your leadership of this important mission and in
furtherance of our relationship with the Government and people of
Brunei. I want to acknowledge your wife Sangeeta and your daughter
Sonali. Thank you both for being here.
We are building a very
strong friendship and partnership between us and Brunei. Twelve years
ago, my husband and daughter represented the United States at the APEC
Economic Leaders Meeting here in Brunei, and they could not stop talking
about how friendly the people were, how green it was, how graciously
hospitable everyone was, what a fabulous time they had with the Sultan
and his family. And it was like family lore the way my husband talked
about his time here.
So I was determined – and I told His Majesty,
I told the Foreign Minister, I told everyone – I was going to get to
Brunei. And so here I am to see for myself. And I also wanted to come to
thank you for the work that you do on behalf of this relationship.
Brunei
may be a small country in size and population, but what happens here
has both regional and global importance. It has emerged as a dynamic
center of trade, a burgeoning country in a geopolitically critical
region, and you’re helping us make those ties between us even stronger.
In
just the past year, you helped broker a deal with Sikorsky and the
Brunei Government to sell 12 Blackhawk military helicopters, supporting
more than 1,000 American jobs and helping the military of Brunei become
more capable. You travel around the country to introduce U.S. business
leaders to what is available here in this great market. U.S. exports are
growing fast, from just $100 million in 2009 to more than $180 million
last year. And the number of students from Brunei studying in the United
States has increased eight times over, and I just met the young woman
who is our 100th student to receive a study visa.
So
much of your work may not make headlines, but it’s the day-to-day impact
that is making such a difference. And I am looking forward to seeing
His Majesty when I go to Vladivostok. After dinner that he hosted for me
and my delegation, which was just a wonderful time to catch up with him
and his family, he went off to the APEC Leaders Summit and I will be
joining him.
I also want to thank our locally engaged staff. All
of our locally engaged Brunei employees, raise your hand and let me say
thank you. Thank you to each and every one of you. And let me also say a
special word to all of our Americans who represent the entire
Government of the United States – civilian and military alike.
We
have a lot of work ahead of us not only in our relationship with Brunei
but in the Asia Pacific, and we could not do it without all of you. So
it may be a small Embassy, but never underestimate how important what
you do is. Brunei will host the ASEAN Ministers and Heads of State next
year. It’s a very important time for ASEAN. I’ll be leaving here to
speak with the Foreign Minister about the agenda for ASEAN going
forward.
So you should know that President Obama and I are very
grateful for what you do on behalf of the United States and this vital
relationship. And let me now shake some hands so I can personally thank
you. Thank you all. (Applause.)
