It is an honour for me to represent the United States of America in Grenada on this Thanksgiving Day.
The theme of “Streams of Hope in Perilous Times” is appropriate as Grenada and other countries, including my own, deal with the recent surge in Covid-19 cases. My heart and prayers are with the Grenadian people.
As we observe Thanksgiving Day, we are grateful for the heroism shown by Caribbean and US servicemembers — who 38 years ago answered the call of Grenada’s Governor-General and the leadership of the OECS — to restore the rule of law to Grenada. We honour the brave people who made the ultimate sacrifice in this noble cause.
We also offer profound thanks for the response of Grenada’s citizens to this intervention. Grenadians from all walks of life and from every part of the tri-island state and the diaspora responded. They showed their dedication and commitment to this nation by defending a tradition of democracy, peace, and stability.
We are grateful for the bonds of friendship, cooperation, and shared purpose that unite our people and our governments. Americans and Grenadians share a commitment to the rule of law, to democratic governance, and to human rights here at home and around the world.
Our bilateral relationship is strengthened by decades of economic, educational, cultural, and security ties, as well as by people-to-people connections that bring our nations closer. We also share a commitment to the health and well-being of the Grenadian people — from the visit of the US hospital ship Comfort in 2019 to last year’s construction of 2 Emergency Operation Centres in St George’s and Carriacou that enhance Grenada’s crisis response.
We continue to demonstrate this commitment by answering Grenada’s call during the Covid-19 pandemic. The United States is proud to have donated nearly 30,000 Covid-19 Pfizer vaccine doses in August, free of charge to the people of Grenada. We hope to send more Pfizer this year. Additionally, through COVAX and the $4 billion committed by the United States to that global vaccination effort, we helped deliver more than 45,000 AstraZeneca vaccine doses to Grenada earlier this year.
We are partners and neighbors, and we remain the closest of friends. We are both grateful and proud of the history of strong relations between the United States and Grenada, and we will continue to work with you to strengthen bilateral and regional security cooperation and combat crime that threatens our economies and societies.
On this Thanksgiving Day, let us resolve together to demonstrate our gratitude for the sacrifices of the past by looking after each other today. Let us work together to emerge from these perilous times triumphant and to set our sights on a healthy and prosperous future.
May God continue to bless Grenada, Carriacou, and Petite Martinique, and may God bless the United States of America.