AMBASSADOR BASS:
So, ladies and gentlemen (inaudible). Before I introduce the Secretary,
I just wanted to say thank you to all of you here in Batumi and also to
all of our colleagues and families back in Tbilisi.
Madam
Secretary, you mentioned yesterday that this is a relationship that gets
things done, and together with our Georgian partners, the people you
see here today in this room and via video teleconference in Tbilisi are
the main reason that’s true.
So it gives me great pleasure
and it’s a tremendous honor and privilege to introduce our Secretary of
State Hillary Rodham Clinton. (Applause.)
SECRETARY CLINTON:
Thank you. Well, I am so pleased to have a chance to thank you in
person here in Batumi and by miracle of technology in Tbilisi. I want to
start by thanking the Ambassador and Holly for not only this wonderful
time we had here in Batumi, but also for their service.
And I’m
very pleased that I have had a chance to see you, because I know how
much work it took. I understand it took more than 30 vehicles to caravan
all the people and equipment to Batumi, and I know you’ve got a
200-mile trip to get everything back home. But I am very grateful
because this is such an important relationship, and we have invested 20
years in our diplomatic relations with Georgia.
We’ve worked hard
every day to help Georgia move along its path of economic and democratic
reform. I know that the progress can be hard-fought here to make sure
that you are contributing to the remarkable story of Georgia over the
last 20 years, but you really are making a difference. The work you’re
doing, which has had an influence across the board, is really very
prudent. We’re going to do everything we can to support you in that
work, and we want to see Georgia fully integrated into the Euro-Atlantic
community.
I have every confidence that this team can continue to
deliver. We have the parliamentary elections upcoming and we want to
work as hard as we can to ensure that – the level playing field that we
all talk about to make a competitive environment, to ensure that the
people of Georgia have a free, fair, and transparent election, and that
it validates the progress that Georgia is making toward
institutionalizing democracy.
I also want to recognize that we
have 30 American agencies represented at our Embassy. And I’m grateful
that we have this very diverse whole-of-government team. And I want to
thank all the family members. And I see some of them here with us today
in Batumi. Are there any Peace Corps volunteers here? Oh, good.
(Laughter.) Peace Corps volunteers, well, thank you so much, because you
are important ambassadors living and working with the Georgian people
every single day, being living examples of American values and
leadership.
And I particularly want to thank our locally employed
staff, our Foreign Service nationals, our Georgians who have made such a
difference. Secretaries of State come and go, even ambassadors come and
go – (laughter) – and DCMs come and go, but the Georgians who are the
backbone and memory bank of our team here are with us year after year.
And I didn’t get a list, like I sometimes do, as to who’s been here
longest, who’s been here since 20 years of diplomatic relations. But let
me thank each and every one of the Georgians who is on this team.
I
want to end by just saying here in Batumi and in Tbilisi, we really
believe in Georgia’s future, and that’s because we really believe in the
Georgian people and particularly the young people of Georgia. We have
seen so many remarkable young people – young ministers and deputy
ministers, young people working at the Public Service Hall in Batumi,
young coast guard men and women serving their country. The young people
of Georgia deserve the best possible future. And we want to be their
partner as they continue to fulfill the aspirations of a modern economy
embedded in strong democratic values that really does provide
opportunities for every single child.
So I’m going to stay very
focused on Georgia. I asked the Ambassador for updates as to how things
are going, because I want to be here in 20 years – (laughter) – to
celebrate with more progress on behalf of this remarkable country and
the partnership and the friendship between our people. Thank you all
very much. (Applause.)
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