Embajador Wayne's Remarks Farewell Ceremony in His Honor Offered by the Papal Nuncio

May 22, 2009

Your Excellency, Dean of the Diplomatic Corps, fellow Ambassadors, distinguished guests. Thank you very much for being here with me today as I prepare to conclude my tenure as ambassador to Argentina.

It has been an honor and a pleasure for me to be here with you, accompanied by colleagues with whom I shared many experiences during my almost three years of diplomatic activity in Argentina.

During this time, I can honestly say that what I enjoyed most of all was the Argentine people’s quality and warmth.  Their talent, creativity, and potential continue to impress me.

My colleagues at the Embassy and I have found it rewarding to help develop that marvelous potential of so many Argentines as well as to deepen relations between the United States and Argentina.

I am leaving Argentina even more convinced that a cornerstone of our work as diplomats must be building direct contact between peoples.  I have encountered energy, dedication and skill, for example, working with the fine people associated with local NGOs and institutions devoted to help the most needy sectors of society -- for example, while working with many of you in supporting the two fairs we hosted to bring together NGOs with government officials and potential donors.  Similarly, my experience has shown the great value of expanding youth scholarship and exchange programs.  It has also underscored the greatly positive contributions our companies can make to building understanding and good will through Corporate Social Responsibility programs.  And, I have been constantly inspired by the selfless work of so many Argentine "heroes" fighting such scourges as drug abuse, trafficking in persons, and domestic violence with very few resources.

Also, like many of you, I have had the pleasure of discovering the richness and beauty of Argentina outside of the capital and the eagerness of the population there to learn about and work with  representatives from other countries.

Of course, at the center of our mission as diplomats is the relationship between our governments.  I am very pleased that the bilateral relationship between Argentina and the United State is good, working from a very solid foundation of cooperation in many fields, and has great momentum for becoming even better. With the administration of President Barack Obama, we are opening a new chapter in relations between the United States and the Western hemisphere.  At the recent Summit of the Americas, President Obama joined with President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner and other leaders to work together on the challenges facing the people of the Americas -- the economic crisis, our climate and energy future, public safety, and social justice and inclusion.  This summit built on the good work done at the G-20 Summit in London, where again President Obama was joined by the President of Argentina in a concerted effort by leaders of the world's major economies to forge a cooperative path back to economic well-being.

The ties between the United States and Argentina are based on shared democratic values and common interests. The bilateral, and often multilateral, cooperation we have forged is strong, in such key areas as fighting international crime, narcotics trafficking, and terrorism, in supporting non-proliferation, peace-keeping,  protection of human rights, and in areas of scientific and health research as diverse as space-based experiments and cancer research.

The economic relationship between the United States and Argentina has also been important for my duties here.  With more than 500 US firms based here employing more than 155,000 Argentines, US firms make a very substantial contribution to Argentina's economy. And during these last three years, bilateral trade and tourism have both increased.  In fact, the number of US tourists visiting Argentina almost doubled and the number of Argentines visiting the US has continued to rise.   These strong economic ties make our continued cooperation in the G-20 process all the more important.  Finally, I want to add that we cooperate not only with the executive branch of Argentine government, but with the Congress, with the Judiciary and with Argentina's free and lively media, all of which are essential elements of democracy.

To conclude, I want to underscore our important role as diplomats. Our job is to resolve problems, help build mutual understanding, and discover and create opportunities for cooperation between our countries. And we have to do all this not only respecting the values and culture of others, but also promoting our best practices and principles in the process: in short, learning from each other.

I want to thank you deeply for having shared your views and your valuable counsel, which have helped me in my efforts to understand Argentina and to consolidate our ties with this beautiful and rich country.  You contributed enormously to my tenure here in Argentina.

I take with me from Argentina your kind friendship and the many good memories that will remain forever in my heart.

You are welcome to visit me in Afghanistan but my residence in Kabul will not be quite like our Bosch palace here, so perhaps I will next see you in Washington!