Chisinau, Moldova
06.29.2023
Good evening President Sandu, distinguished guests, colleagues, friends. Welcome and thank you for joining us to celebrate America’s 247th Independence Day!
This year our theme is Limitless Opportunities, because we are excited to celebrate the United States’ partnership with Moldova in the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields. I have traveled all over Moldova, from Briceni to Cahul, from Tiraspol to Soroca, and I can say that Moldova is a country filled with limitless opportunities.
In the room today are three teams of Moldova’s future innovators and leaders – first, the team who won in engineering innovation at the FIRST Global Competition in Geneva. Next, teams of students from the Technical University of Moldova and the Cyber Fish team from Gheorghe Asachi High School – who won the best innovation project at FIRST LEGO league this year. What an accomplishment! These students took tiny Lego bricks and let their imaginations go wild. There is no one right way to make something out of Legos, but when these students worked together toward a shared vision, they built something beautiful and also useful.
It reminds me of the partnership between the United States and the government and people of Moldova to build a democratic, prosperous, and secure Moldova, firmly anchored in Europe. We have laid a lot of bricks over the last 31 years that have built a strong foundation to our partnership!
During our over three-decade partnership, the United States has provided over $2 billion in assistance to Moldova. Nearly one-third of that has come since last February, as Moldova has responded to the impact of Russia’s brutal war in Ukraine. Our projects range across all sectors. From energy security to fighting corruption. From rural agricultural development and expanding the wine industry to supporting independent media and promoting trade diversification. From border security to developing Moldova’s information technology sector. Our people-to-people connections advance our shared goals – alumni of Embassy exchange programs hold elected office, run companies, and work to make Moldova’s future even brighter. We look forward to once again welcoming Peace Corps volunteers later this summer. These are just a few examples of our strong partnership with Moldova, and it only continues to get stronger every year.
This year, Moldova has showed the world that not only is it a small country with a big heart, but that Moldovans are committed to their path toward EU integration. I attended the May 21 grand national assembly, where so many Moldovans showed their enthusiasm for the path toward the EU. Then, in the world spotlight while hosting the European Political Community meeting, Moldova truly shined. The world saw what we here all know, which is that President Sandu and the people of Moldova have a clear vision for country’s future — and the skills to achieve it. We will remain at your side as you do so!
I want to acknowledge a few individuals who made tonight possible. First, Christy Rose, our coordinator for this fantastic event. Thank you, Christy! Thank you also to our emcees, young American interns working at the Embassy this summer. You really brought life to tonight’s festivities! And to our entire Embassy team – the best Embassy team in the world. You work tirelessly to support American citizens and to deepen our partnership with the citizens of Moldova. Thank you.
And thank you to our sponsors who have generously donated so much to make this event happen! AmCham is an important Embassy partner and co-host tonight, along with our other generous sponsors whose logos are displayed on the screen.
The United States is proud of our long-standing partnership with the people and government of Moldova to build a more prosperous, democratic, and secure Moldova, firmly anchored in Europe. Together, brick by brick, step by step, we are coming together to build something more beautiful.
Thank you for coming tonight to celebrate with us. Happy Independence Day, America!
