Swearing in Speech

July 28th, 2010

SECRETARY KENNEDY, AMBASSADOR BURIAN, FRIENDS, FAMILY, DISTINGUISHED COLLEAGUES AND GUESTS.

I AM DEEPLY HONORED TO BE STANDING IN FRONT OF YOU TODAY. KATE AND I ARE SO GRATEFUL TO ALL OF YOU FOR JOINING US AT THIS VERY SPECIAL AND, I MIGHT ADD, LONG-AWAITED MOMENT.

SECRETARY KENNEDY, I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME OUT OF YOUR BUSY SCHEDULE TO CONDUCT THIS CEREMONY.

I ALSO WANT TO PROFOUNDLY THANK PRESIDENT OBAMA AND SECRETARY CLINTON FOR THE TRUST THEY HAVE SHOWN BY NOMINATING ME TO REPRESENT THE UNITED STATES’ GOVERNMENT, INTERESTS, IDEALS AND CITIZENS TO THE SLOVAK REPUBLIC.

AMBASSADOR BURIAN, I AM VERY GRATEFUL THAT YOU ARE HERE FROM THE SLOVAK EMBASSY AND I LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH YOU TO ENHANCE THE ALREADY STRONG TIES BETWEEN OUR RESPECTIVE COUNTRIES.

I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO RECOGNIZE THE DISTINGUISHED MEMBERS OF CONGRESS JIM COOPER AND TIM PETRI, FORMER CONGRESSMEN CHIP PASHAYAN AND JIM SYMINGTON, FORMER AMBASSADORS ROBERTSON, BRILL, DUEMLING, CUTLER, FORMER AMBASSADOR TO SLOVAKIA TED RUSSELL – FOUNDER OF THE FRIENDS OF SLOVAKIA - AND AMBASSADOR DESIGNATE NORM EISEN, WHO HAS BEEN NOMINATED TO SERVE IN NEIGHBORING PRAGUE.

I AM ALSO GRATEFUL FOR BILL WEBSTER’S PRESENCE, WHO SERVED AS HEAD OF BOTH THE FBI AND CIA.

ALL OF YOU HONORED PUBLIC SERVANTS AND FRIENDS HAVE PROFOUNDLY INSPIRED ME TO ACCEPT THE HONOR OF SERVING OUR COUNTRY.

I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO THANK MY MANY COLLEAGUES AT THE STATE DEPARTMENT – IN PARTICULAR SHARON HARDY, JAMIE MOORE, JOHN BORIS AND JON MARTINSON – FOR YOUR TIRELESS DEDICATION, PATIENCE AND KNOWLEDGE AS WE HAVE EMBARKED ON THIS PROCESS TOGETHER. YOUR INSIGHTS AND ASSISTANCE HAVE BEEN INVALUABLE.

I ALSO WANT TO UNDERSCORE MY COMMITMENT TO ALL THE DEDICATED STAFF AT EMBASSY BRATISLAVA.

WE WILL BE EMBARKING TOGETHER ON A NEW ERA – NEW AMBASSADOR, NEW DEPUTY CHIEF OF MISSION, NEW SLOVAK GOVERNMENT – AND I LOOK FORWARD VERY MUCH TO WORKING WITH SUCH AN OUTSTANDING TEAM OF U.S .AND SLOVAK PUBLIC SERVANTS DEDICATED TO ENHANCING THE ALREADY STRONG BILATERAL RELATIONSHIP.

IT IS A HAPPY COINCIDENCE THAT KEITH EDDINS AND HIS WIFE ANNE BRIDGMAN, WHO RECENTLY RETURNED FROM BRATISLAVA, ARE HERE KEITH’S SUPERB SERVICE AS CHARGÉ D’ AFFAIRES IN BRATISLAVA DURING THE PAST 18 MONTHS WAS CRITICAL IN MAINTAINING OUR GOOD RELATIONS WITH THE SLOVAK GOVERNMENT DURING AN IMPORTANT PERIOD LEADING UP TO THE RECENT NATIONAL ELECTIONS.

THANK YOU KEITH, AND THANK YOU ANNE FOR YOUR SUPPORT DURING THIS VERY CHALLENGING TIME.

PLEASE JOIN ME IN A ROUND OF APPLAUSE TO SALUTE THEIR LONG AND DISTINGUISHED SERVICE TO THE UNITED STATES.

THE SLOVAK REPUBLIC IS A YOUNG AND VIBRANT DEMOCRACY, AS REFLECTED IN ITS RECENT NATIONAL ELECTIONS.

SINCE GAINING INDEPENDENCE IN 1993, THE SLOVAK PEOPLE HAVE IN A REMARKABLY SHORT PERIOD OF TIME BUILT A PROSPEROUS AND MODERN STATE THAT IS EVER MORE ACTIVE ON THE INTERNATIONAL STAGE, FULFILLING ITS RESPONSIBILITIES AS A MEMBER OF NATO, THE EUROPEAN UNION, THE OSCE AND THE OECD AND CURRENTLY GUIDING REGIONAL COLLABORATION AND COOPERATION AS PRESIDENT OF THE VISEGRAD FOUR GROUP.

SLOVAKIA IS BOTH A STRONG PARTNER AND ALLY AND I LOOK FORWARD WITH GREAT ANTICIPATION AND HIGH ASPIRATIONS TO WORKING WITH PRIME MINISTER RADICOVA’S GOVERNMENT TO FURTHER STRENGTHEN AND DEEPEN OUR STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP.

WE SHARE A COMMON AGENDA IN MANY AREAS – THE UPCOMING NATO SUMMIT, ENERGY SECURITY, THE RULE OF LAW, A STRONG, INDEPENDENT JUDICIARY, AND TOLERANCE.

I AM ALSO COMMITTED TO BUILDING STRONGER TIES BETWEEN OUR CITIZENS.

AS ONE WHO GREW UP IN CLEVELAND WITH ONE OF THE MOST VIBRANT SLOVAK-AMERICAN COMMUNITIES IN THE COUNTRY, I AM DEDICATED TO STRENGTHENING THE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THE CITIZENS OF THE SLOVAK REPUBLIC AND THE SLOVAK-AMERICAN COMMUNITIES IN THE UNITED STATES.

IF YOU WOULD INDULGE ME I WOULD LIKE TAKE JUST A MOMENT TO SHARE A FEW THOUGHTS ABOUT SLOVAK-AMERICAN RELATIONS.

IN READING ABOUT SLOVAK HISTORY AND THE SLOVAK EXPERIENCE IN THE UNITED STATES, I HAVE BEEN STRUCK BY THE SPIRIT AND PERSEVERANCE OF THE SLOVAK PEOPLE.

I WAS STRUCK BY HOW THEY HAVE SINCE INDEPENDENCE SPRINTED FORWARD IN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, BECOMING IN RECENT YEARS ONE OF THE FASTEST-GROWING ECONOMIES IN EUROPE, ADOPTING THE EURO CURRENCY, AND ATTRACTING FOREIGN CAPITAL.

I AM ALSO VERY MUCH AWARE OF HOW MUCH SLOVAKIA CAN USE ITS VISEGRAD-4 LEADERSHIP TO REACH OUT TO NEIGHBORS THROUGH THE EASTERN PARTNERSHIP AND HOW IT CAN ENHANCE REGIONAL ENERGY DIVERSITY AND SECURITY. WHETHER THROUGH NUCLEAR ENERGY, SHALE GAS, NATURAL GAS THROUGH PIPELINES, ALTERNATIVE SOURCES, OR ENERGY EFFICIENCY, THERE IS STILL MUCH WORK TO DO TO HELP EUROPE ENHANCE ITS ENERGY SECURITY AND REACH ITS CLIMATE CHANGE TARGETS.

SLOVAKIA HAS EXERTED AND, I AM CONFIDENT, WILL CONTINUE TO EXERT GENUINE REGIONAL LEADERSHIP.

ITS SOLDIERS, DIPLOMATS AND NGOS ARE ACTIVE FROM BOSNIA AND KOSOVO TO CYPRUS, AND AFGHANISTAN.

IN HER SPEECH AT THE COMMUNITY OF DEMOCRACIES, SECRETARY CLINTON ADDRESSED THE CHALLENGES THAT CONFRONT CIVIC SOCIETY AND NONGOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS.

AS A NEWLY MINTED AMBASSADOR REPRESENTING ONE DEMOCRACY AND SERVING IN ANOTHER, IT WILL BE MY PRIVILEGE AND RESPONSIBILITY TO ESPOUSE OUR COMMON VALUES AND IDEALS.

IN SHORT, WE ARE EXCITED TO GO TO SLOVAKIA.

WE HAVE MUCH WORK TO DO AND MANY GOOD FRIENDS WITH WHOM TO SHARE THAT WORK.

WHEN THE ROMAN EMPEROR MARCUS AURELIUS WAS FIGHTING TRIBES NORTH OF THE DANUBE IN WHAT IS TODAY SLOVAKIA, HE ACTUALLY FOUND TIME TO SIT IN QUIET CONTEMPLATION AND WRITE HIS MEDITATIONS.

SINCE MY REMARKABLE AND YOUNG-AT-HEART 96-YEAR-OLD MOTHER IS HERE WITH ME, IT IS APPROPRIATE TO QUOTE FROM THE FIRST BOOK OF HIS MEDITATIONS IN WHICH HE SAYS: “I AM INDEBTED TO THE GODS FOR HAVING GOOD GRANDFATHERS, GOOD PARENTS, GOOD SIBLINGS, GOOD TEACHERS, GOOD ASSOCIATES, GOOD KINSMEN AND FRIENDS, NEARLY EVERYTHING GOOD.”

I WOULD LIKE TO ADD TO HIS COMMENTS THAT I ALSO HAVE A WONDERFULLY SUPPORTIVE WIFE, KATE, WHO LOOKS FORWARD TO DRAWING UPON HER EXPERTISE TO PROMOTE INTEREST IN PUBLIC HEALTH IN THE REGION.

I WOULD LIKE TO THANK MY FAMILY AND MY DAUGHTERS, ELIZA AND CAROLINE, MY SON-IN-LAW STUART BRUNSON AND GRANDCHILDREN, ABBY AND MASON FOR THEIR LOVE AND SUPPORT AS WE EMBARK ON THIS JOURNEY.

AND I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO THANK ALL OF YOU, OUR CLOSE FRIENDS AND COLLEAGUES, FOR COMING TO SHARE THIS VERY SPECIAL CELEBRATION WITH MY FAMILY.