Credentialing Speech in San Marino
March 14, 2018
(As prepared for delivery)
Most Excellent Captains Regent, Mr. Secretary, Ladies and Gentlemen.
It is my great pleasure to be here in the UNESCO World Heritage city of San Marino. Mr. Secretary, thank you for your words of welcome and friendship.
The “Most Serene Republic” of San Marino is rightly proud to be regarded as the oldest surviving constitutional republic in the world. The remarkable feat is in large part because the Sammarinese value freedom above all. Your motto is “Libertas,” and the cardinal values of your nation are individual enterprise and compassion. The United States shares these values.
Because of these shared values, your nation granted honorary citizenship to two American presidents. The bust of Abraham Lincoln sits just outside this room. Inscribed upon it is a quotation from the letter he wrote to your predecessors in 1861:
Although your dominion is small, your State is nevertheless one of the most honored, in all history.
[…] It has by its experience demonstrated the truth, so full of encouragement to the friends of Humanity, that Government founded on Republican principles is capable of being so administered as to be secure and enduring.
Throughout San Marino’s 1,717-year history it has remained independent in part by remaining neutral. But it also has recognized the importance of being part of the community of nations. You joined the Council of Europe and the United Nations, where we value San Marino’s support of principles and projects that are important to the United States. Today more than ever before, it is important that we recognize the values that unite us and work together to defend and promote them.
As Ambassador, my two most important priorities will be security and economic development. On security, we look forward to strengthening our longstanding bilateral cooperation with San Marino on issues such as combatting organized crime and money laundering and countering the global terrorist threat. I appreciate all the Government of San Marino has done to make its banking system more transparent, including the signing of a bilateral FATCA agreement in 2015.
On economic matters, my goal is to strengthen our bilateral economic linkages – in particular to encourage more Sammarinese investment in the United States. I will be meeting later today with the head of your Chamber of Commerce to begin this discussion.
Finally, I note that many citizens of San Marino have spent part of their lives in my country, making an important contribution to our economy and our society. They are a living testament to the strength of our relations. Through their work with economic and cultural associations, they promote the finest Sammarinese traditions in America, and the finest American traditions in San Marino.
I am committed to ensuring that the partnership between our two countries and our collaboration on crucial issues of the day become stronger. I extend my most sincere wishes for peace and prosperity to their Excellencies the Captains Regent and the citizens of San Marino.
