Independence Day Celebration
Chief of Mission Residence
Thursday, July 2, 2015, 7pm
Remarks by U.S. Ambassador David D. Pearce
(as delivered)
Αξιότιμες κυρίες και κύριοι, καλησπέρα σας,
Σας ευχαριστώ θερμά που ήρθατε απόψε εδώ στο Jefferson House για να γιορτάσουμε και φέτος όλοι μαζί την Ημέρα της Ανεξαρτησίας των Ηνωμένων Πολιτειών.
Thank you, Mary, and thank you to our national anthem singers.
Your Excellencies, your Eminences, distinguished guests, Αξιότιμες κυρίες και κύριοι, welcome.
My wife Leyla and I both thank you all for coming to this year’s Independence Day celebration.
Today I’ll be brief, but I want to say a few words about what the day means.
For Americans this day is also about recognizing that we always need to be prepared, to adjust, to improve, to change, and to innovate.
Ever since the Declaration of Independence was signed 239 years ago, the US has been a work in progress. It’s been a pursuit, to use a word from the Declaration of Independence itself.
It’s often been rough going – many tests and trials. But as President Obama said “our country’s story is a testament to our belief that America will triumph over its trials.”
This is, as we all know, a difficult period for many, many Greeks. We hope, while there is still time, that Greece and its partners can come to an agreement, an agreement that provides the stability the country needs to begin growing again.
In times of crisis, like now, people are unavoidably under strain. While these pressures are very real, and very personal, we hope that the end result of the current pressures will be to drive people together, and strengthen the sense of common purpose and destiny here. That sense is necessary to find practical solutions to difficult national problems.
Greece is not only part of Europe, it is an important part of Europe. I am proud to say that Greek-U.S. relations go all the way back to the earliest days of the Greek Independence struggle, and we will continue to do all we can in coming days, weeks and years to sustain and strengthen the ties between Greece and the United States on all levels.
Ευελπιστούμε ότι και η Ελλάδα θα μπορέσει να ξεπεράσει τους διχασμούς του παρελθόντος, ώστε η χώρα να ατενίσει το μέλλον της ενωμένη και με αισιοδοξία.
Σας ευχαριστώ πολύ.
Thank you.
