Former Ambassador Pamela Hyde Smith Speeches

Ambassador Pamela Hyde Smith's Remarks At the Dedication of the Well, Straseni

September 8, 2003

Ambassador Pamela Hyde Smith at the Dedication of the Well, Straseni

Minister Gaiciuc will focus his comments on the Military relationship and I will address my suggestions more to the government and civilian aspects of the RM-US-NC relationship.

Vice-Mayor Calmus, Minister Gaiciuc, General Ingram, ladies and gentlemen: It is a pleasure to be here with you to celebrate the completion of these wells.

About a year ago, Minister Gaiciuc and General Ingram discussed the water difficulties of Straseni. The growth of this discussion into the $(how much did it cost project) we are completing today is a wonderful example of the valuable cooperation between the Ministry of Defense, the United States Embassy, and the State of North Carolina. The spirit of cooperation between everyone involved has been so exceptional that the drilling was finished on time and under budget. In fact the savings achieved allowed us to drill another well at the orphanage kindergarten. We visited the kindergarten earlier today and were pleased to talk with the beautiful children and see the results of this extra piece of the project.
Many of the people with us here today are members of the North Carolina Bilateral Affairs Committee. Dozens of people from North Carolina have traveled to Moldova to celebrate the completion of this project and to meet with their counterparts in almost every field of expertise imaginable. The new wells here in Straseni, as well as the nearby clinic constructed in 2000 and the inoculation of local children against hepatitis last year, are excellent examples of the valuable work of these "people to people" ambassadors.

My hope is that the new water supplied by these wells will last for years to come and that using it will remind the people of Straseni your friends, both here in the Embassy and back in the United States of America, who are working to help Moldova.

Thank you.