Embassy Press Release

US AMBASSADOR NICHOLAS TAUBMAN’S MESSAGE TO THE ROMANIAN PEOPLE ON THE OCCASION OF JULY 4

This month we Americans celebrate the 231^st anniversary of the foundation of our Republic, when the Continental Congress declared that “these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States….” The bold optimism of the Declaration of Independence was actually somewhat illusory at the time. In fact the war with Britain would continue for six more years with many defeats and setbacks. It would be more than seven years before a peace treaty was signed and the last British troops left the United States. It would be eleven years before the U.S. Constitution was adopted and nearly twelve years before the first president, George Washington, took office. But the process of democratization had to continue to unfold even from there. It was 89 years before slavery was outlawed and the vote was extended to all men regardless of their race. And then it was 144 years before the female half of the population was guaranteed the right to vote.

Unlike the Communists, the American founding fathers never claimed they were creating the perfect society. Not “perfect”, but “perfectible” was their goal. We are far short of perfection, but we are still working towards that goal after 231 years.

This year I will have the honor to host a Fourth of July celebration in a Romania that is now within the borders of the European Union -- a development that the United States has long advocated. This year will see the establishment of joint Romanian-U.S. military facilities -- a tangible symbol of the rock-solid alliance between our two countries. Romanian and American soldiers are already fighting extremists in Afghanistan and Iraq, and helping secure the Western Balkans. Now we will be able to train together, for months at a time, here on Romanian soil, alongside troops from other NATO partners.

But there is a lot more to our close bilateral relationship than cooperation in the defense and security field. Every month, more and more American companies are coming to Romania; more and more American investors are declaring their confidence in Romania’s future. I am convinced that this vibrant new Romania, can and will play an exceptional role in this region and beyond. I am persuaded that an energetic new generation of Romanian leaders in business, society and government will open the way to a future of positive opportunities for Romanians from all walks of life.

What would those hundreds of Romanian revolutionaries who sacrificed their lives in 1989 think of their country now? We can’t know, but I think that it might not be that different from what the American revolutionaries of 1776 might think of their country today. Some surprise, some disappointment, but most of all, pride, that a people that faced such difficulty have achieved so much, so fast, through skill, determination and an abiding hunger for freedom and justice.

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