Embassy Outreach

SPEECHES

GREETINGS
by U.S. Ambassador Emil Skodon
Event: Brunei's National Day - February 23, 2007 (As aired on Kristal FM Radio on February 23rd)

On behalf of President Bush and the people of the United States of America, I would like to extend congratulations and best wishes to His Majesty, the Sultan and Yang di Pertuan of Negara Brunei Darussalam, and to the people of Brunei, on the occasion of Brunei ’s 23rd National Day.

The theme of this year’s National Day is “Commitment – Empowering the Nation’s Capabilities.”  In today’s world, no nation can empower its full capabilities without creating a highly trained and well equipped workforce, one that meets the most demanding international benchmarks.  The United States is proud to be playing a part in ensuring that this commitment to excellence becomes a reality here in Brunei, through our partnerships with His Majesty’s Government, Brunei’s business community, and its educational institutions. 

Last year, the Government of the United States helped to sponsor nearly fifty Bruneians for education, training, study trips, or consultations with their American counterparts, in fields ranging from higher academic studies to law enforcement.  This was the highest number of our official sponsorships in several years.  In addition, American businesses are supplying much of the modern equipment and knowledge transfer necessary for Brunei to be competitive in the global economy.  Perhaps most notably, the number of Bruneian students studying at American universities has recovered to reach its highest level since the 2002 academic year, and we are encouraging even more Bruneians to study in the USA in the future. 

Our extensive partnership not only helps Bruneians to empower their full capabilities, it also makes it easier for our two countries to help others through better coordination of our policies and actions worldwide.  For example in the Indonesian province of Aceh, where Brunei and the United States are working together to rebuild an area devastated by the 2004 tsunami, in a unique cooperative project carried out as part of the U.S.-ASEAN Enhanced Partnership.  That is but one example of how the close cooperation between Brunei and the USA serves to advance our shared goals of peace, prosperity, and long-term stability in Southeast Asia and beyond.

I hope that in the coming years we can continue to expand the professional exchanges and economic interaction between our countries, and especially that the number of Bruneians pursuing their higher education in the USA will continue to grow, so that the United States can continue to support Brunei’s commitment to empowering the capabilities of the nation.

Once again, I would like to congratulate Brunei on the 23rd anniversary of its independence, and say to all Bruneians…

“Selamat Menyambut Hari Kebangsaan”