Remarks by Chargé d’Affaires Rafik Mansour, Virtual Fourth of July Ceremony
Welcome and thank you for joining us for U.S. Embassy Singapore’s virtual Fourth of July ceremony. To my American friends, colleagues, and neighbors, I wish you a very happy Independence Day. As we celebrate our country’s 245th birthday, we can be especially proud of the ingenuity, resolve, and compassion our nation continues to demonstrate.
The United States has reaffirmed its global leadership and commitment to health and security for all. As a clear example of our global health leadership, the United States is purchasing 500 million doses of Pfizer vaccines – the largest-ever purchase and donation of COVID-19 vaccines by a single country – and donating them to 92 low- and lower-middle-income countries.
We are also working with international partners like Singapore to keep our respective citizens safe and healthy. We have all made sacrifices and worked selflessly for the sake of our communities. Thanks to our shared determination, I am confident that better days lie ahead.
As President Biden has noted, we have always been a forward-looking nation, one still striving toward a more perfect union. Five years from now – July 4, 2026 – will be the 250th anniversary of the United States’ independence. Today we begin the celebration with our partners at the America250 Foundation and invite all Americans, as well as our friends abroad, to help honor our past and shape our future.
To our Singaporean partners, we say “thank you” for yet another year of strong cooperation. This year, not only do we celebrate our country’s independence, but we also proudly commemorate 55 years of diplomatic relations between the United States and Singapore. Our partnership throughout the years has built a strong foundation for a secure, prosperous, and innovative future for our two countries and for the region. For decades, the tens of thousands of Americans living here in Singapore have contributed to their communities by adding their spirit of service, drive to innovate, and sense of possibility in all that they do.
This has been particularly important over the past year and a half as we have fought the COVID-19 pandemic. We have faced it together – on both sides of the Pacific – not only as a shared challenge, but also as a shared opportunity. Americans and Singaporeans have collaborated as we respond and recover, working even closer together for our shared progress and for the global good. This enduring partnership has shown that our histories are interwoven, our partnership is indispensable, and our futures will be brighter because we stand together.
Today is an opportunity for us all to be proud, to be patriotic, to be thankful, and to be optimistic. I wish you good health, much success, and a happy Independence Day!