the Ambassador
Ambassador's Speech
REMARKS BY AMBASSADOR WAYNE FOR THE DALLAS ASSEMBLY RECEPTION
April 19, 2007
Ambassador's Residence
Good evening everyone. I want first to welcome the members of the Dallas Assembly to Buenos Aires. I’m very pleased that you chose Argentina as the site of your visit, and I’m sure you’ll enjoy the warmth of the Argentine people and the beauty of this country.
And of course I want to welcome our Argentine guests. Tonight offers a very special opportunity for the Dallas Assembly to meet Argentines who have traveled to or studied in Texas. For example, with us here tonight are grantees from the organization Fundación Universitaria Rio de la Plata, all of whom spent several weeks in Austin studying U.S. politics and culture at the University of Texas.
The US Embassy is very interested in looking for ways to expand people-to-people ties between the US and Argentina, whether it be through business, tourism, or educational and cultural exchanges. I think, ultimately, these kinds of ties lead to positive, lasting relationships that can enhance mutual understanding. Governments come and go; diplomats come and go, but the relationships between people are what will always remain.
Texas and Argentina have strong ties in many fields, including the business world. There are dozens of Texas-based companies doing business in Argentina. These range from oil and gas companies and agriculture to high tech firms. Dell Computers and the chip maker AMD, for example, both have operations in Argentina, providing jobs to Argentines. Two of the five airlines that serve Argentina are based in Texas.
The strong presence of U.S. companies that have direct ties to the state of Texas and are operating in Argentina have contributed greatly to the incredible recovery of the Argentine economy. It is in U.S. interests that Argentina maintains a strong and stable economy so that even more U.S. companies can invest in Argentina and create even more jobs.
I hope tonight serves as an occasion for stimulating opportunities for even more fruitful contacts between our two peoples, not just in business, but in a variety of fields. Thank you again for coming, and I wish you an enjoyable evening.