June 30, 2022
Hi, I’m Kent Logsdon, the Ambassador of the United States to the Republic of Moldova. My wife Michelle, my son Will and I, as well as all of my colleagues from the U.S. Mission to Moldova, are glad to welcome you to this year’s Independence Day Celebration! After two years of not being able to celebrate in person, it feels especially good to be here tonight.
I’m also happy to welcome my good friend Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Nicu Popescu to tonight’s celebration. Thank you Nicu for joining us.
I also want to welcome the President of the American Chamber of Commerce in Moldova Carmina Vicol to our celebration. AmCham is a key partner of the Embassy and co-host of this year’s celebration. Thank you Carmina for being here.
Independence Day is an important day for Americans. I remember what a big deal the Fourth of July was when I was growing up in Pennsylvania. We celebrated by going to outdoor picnics, watching a parade of marching bands and fire trucks on Beaver Road, the main street in my small town, and of course, in the evening, going to the football field at the high school field to see the fireworks. And as an adult, I’m still excited to see all these traditions as we share them with our children.
I think it is important on every Independence Day that we take a minute to remember our history. Exactly 246 years ago, the founders of the United States declared to the world that certain ideas were true: that all people are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights, and that among those rights are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That’s why our founders signed the Declaration of Independence. Because they knew that only democracy and the rule of law could guarantee and safeguard these rights.
This year we celebrate our shared commitment to these values as we mark 30 years of diplomatic relations between the United States and the Republic of Moldova. We have much to celebrate, and we have much to look forward to.
Moldova earned the admiration of the world by welcoming more than 500,000 refugees forced to flee Ukraine by Russia’s brutal and unprovoked invasion. People in the United States and around the world know that Moldova is a small country with a big heart.
We have been proud to help. Through our direct support to the government of Moldova and through our contributions to international organizations, we have helped the Moldovan government, civil society groups, and NGOs tackle this unprecedented influx of refugees.
We have also stood firmly in support of Moldova’s independence, territorial integrity, and constitutional neutrality. And we applaud the European Union’s decision to accept Moldova as a candidate country furthering Moldova’s integration into Europe and solidly anchoring this country in the free world.
We are working together on our shared goals of democracy, prosperity, and security.
The United States has been a proud partner of the Republic of Moldova for the past 30 years, and we look forward to the next 30!
Again, we are so glad that all of you came to celebrate with us tonight. Please enjoy the wonderful food generously brought to us by the Radisson Hotel. We look forward to having you all join us on the dance floor tonight.
Happy Independence Day America!
